Unintended
by phofstadter
Summary: A surprise hits Penny and Leonard hard. One drunken night changes Sheldon and Amy's relationship paradigm. Bernadette gets some news she isn't sure how to handle. Raj falls for a new girl, who has a surprising connection to one of his friends. All of this was surely unintended, but somehow, life moves on. LP, SA, HB, ROC.
1. Prologue

**Hey everyone! So, I've been working on this story for a while (since The Santa Simulation to be precise), and I'm actually, really, truly proud of this. Just so you know, there will be some hardcore angst in this, but there will be some fluffy times to. I'm just warning you ahead of time that some topics that will be covered in this story may make some readers uncomfortable, specifically issues related to pregnancy/fertility – that's part of the reason this story is rated M. Proceed with caution if you are not an angst fan. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Big Bang Theory or any of its characters. They belong to those who created them.**

* * *

Today was a slow day at The Cheesecake Factory. It was a Friday mid-afternoon, the time when children were still in school and adults were finished their lunch breaks and back at the office. As Penny wiped down the bar, she wondered what she would do with this free time she had on her hands. She couldn't call any of her friends, because they were all probably in their labs, and she had no one to wait on, which was good since bringing people food wasn't exactly a favorite past time, but bad because now Penny was alone in the restaurant, which was completely silent. She could've dropped her bobby pin on the floor and heard it.

So, Penny was just alone with her thoughts. The only problem was, her thoughts were not particularly interesting. _The gang's going out tonight, right? _She thought to herself. _Well, I guess I have that to look forward to…_A pause. _I wonder if Leonard would pick up if I called him…Nah, he's probably working on his experiment. He better not be with Alex…_Another pause. _So…_

The bell attached to the front door rang out and Penny looked up, startled. She was pleasantly surprised to see a familiar, blonde former waitress walk in. "Hey, Bernadette," She said, dropping her rag. "Shouldn't you be at work?"

Penny's happiness turned to worry when she walked over. Bernadette was biting her lip, and she looked tense. Penny could see that her eyes were puffy under her glasses. "Have you been…have you been crying?" Penny asked.

Bernadette nodded. "Yeah," She said. Her voice sounded shaky.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" Penny asked again. "Is Howard okay? Did something happen?"

"Everyone's fine," Bernadette insisted. "Howard's fine, I'm fine. There's just something I…I really need to talk to you about…" She trailed off, and Penny pulled her into a big hug, the kind that would've made Sheldon squirm. Bernadette hugged her back, a little harder than she usually would have.

"Honey, you can talk to me about anything." Penny told her, sitting on one of the bar stools and patting the one next to her. Bernadette sat down. "Now, what is it?"

The microbiologist sighed. "I'm tired, all the time," She began. "I can't even open the refrigerator without wincing. My head hurts…" She stopped, and glanced up at Penny expectantly.

Penny simply blinked. "Umm, okay?"

Bernadette gave her a look. "Penny, I'm _late_,"

For a moment, Penny opened her mouth to say "late for what" until it dawned on her. "_Oh_," She gasped. "Are you sure you're…?"

Bernadette shook her head. "No," She pulled a CVS pharmacy bag out of her purse. "But, I'm going to find out. Will you be with me while I take it? Well, you know, not when I _actually_ take it but…" She was still saying something, but Penny had stopped listening as another realization hit her.

No, there was no way Bernadette could be late, because if she was late, that meant Penny was late. Their cycles had finally synced up two or three months ago, hers, Bernadette's and Amy's – Penny remembered because when Amy found out she'd been so excited she'd thrown a 'mensie buddies party' that had left Penny and Bernadette mortified. Was today already the eleventh?

Crap, it was. Penny was officially a week late for her period, and so was Bernadette. _Holy Cow, she was screwed. _

"Penny?"

The waitress blinked and snapped out of her thoughts. Bernadette was looked at her in confusion, and Penny wondered how long it had been since she'd zoned out. "Oh, sorry," Penny said quickly. "Of course I'll be with you when you take the test."

* * *

Bernadette reappeared from the bathroom, dropping three pregnancy tests down on the counter. Penny still sat on the barstool, swiveling back and forth and tapping her fingers against her knees. "Three minutes," She told her, and Penny nodded solemnly. Bernadette wondered why she looked sad – it was her who was probably pregnant, not Penny – but she didn't comment. If Penny wanted to talk about it, she would.

Bernadette sat back down and watched the clock. These would be some of the longest three minutes of her life. She didn't know what she was going to do if she was pregnant – Bernadette had never wanted kids. Of course if she was pregnant she'd (hopefully) come to terms with it, and there was no doubt in her mind Howard would be thrilled. And yes, sure having a child may seem logical to some – she was happily married and already thirty, the child would always be there to keep her company and love her unconditionally, etc, etc. Maybe it was strange for her to not like children; maybe it was cruel of her to not want them when Howard did so badly, but Bernadette just couldn't picture herself being somebody's mother, at least not at this point in time. Her career was taking off, her and Howard hadn't even been married for a year, she was happy where she was – what if having a child threw off that balance? …What if she wasn't a good mom?

That was the last thought that ran through Bernadette's head when three minutes finally passed. "Do you want to look or would you rather I do it?" Penny asked her.

Bernadette paused, her back still to the three pee sticks that would determine her fate. "How about we do it together?"

Penny nodded. "That sounds good; I'll count to three okay? And then we'll both look. One…two…three…"

The two women both turned around in their seats, and Bernadette froze when she saw the tests. The two in front of her both had automated smiley faces flashing on their screens that made Bernadette suddenly feel sick. The one in Penny's hands even had the audacity to tell her congratulations.

"So, you're not pregnant?" Penny asked. Bernadette was so tempted to roll her eyes, but her better judgment forced her to hold it in.

She handed the box to Penny, and didn't say anything. Penny's eyes widened when she realized that "congratulations" meant "pregnant". "Oh, Bernadette…" She trailed off. It was obvious she didn't know what to say. Penny knew Bernadette's feelings about children. Everyone did.

Bernadette rose and bit down on her lip as she walked back off to the bathroom, locking herself in a stall. She would _not_ cry in front of Penny.

Penny sighed and placed her head against the counter. She guessed it wasn't a good time to mention they might be raising their babies together.

* * *

Raj liked the rare times he gave lectures. He didn't even have to pour alcohol into his coffee to do it! He smiled to himself as he shut down his laptop. He'd have to toast himself a few extra times tonight…

"Excuse me, Dr. Koothrappali?"

Raj turned around and froze when he saw one of the students behind him – a young, beautiful, female student. She was shorter than Raj, maybe 5"4 or 5"5, and had a pair of Juicy Couture glasses that were a little low on her nose, which was a little…_large_, but in an endearing way – the nose, not the glasses. She had dark brown hair and bangs she clipped back, and bright blue eyes. She was pretty in an unconventional way, and just one look at her rendered Raj speechless.

"That lecture was amazing," The girl gushed. "I just wanted to tell you that your thoughts on dark matter are so compelling,"

Raj nodded and looked around. He spotted the scotch of the professor who normally used this room and walked over, pouring some into his empty coffee cup, taking a big sip. He flashed the girl what he meant to be a charming smile. "Don't tell Dr. Cooper – he'll claim the theory was all his,"

The girl giggled. "You know, when you were in _People_, I clipped the article out and hung it up on my bulletin board."

"Really?" Raj croaked. He felt his face flush and took another swig of scotch.

The girl nodded. "I'm a huge fan of your work. I think you're going to do great things; Dr. Koothrappali," She hiked her bag a little farther up on her shoulder and smiled. "I have to go, but it was a pleasure," She extended her hand and Raj shook it, staring at her as she walked out.

"Whoa,"

Raj grabbed the next student who passed him by. "That girl who was just talking to me, do you know her?"

The guy looked a little freaked out. "The girl…?"

Raj sighed. "Dark brown hair, purple glasses, big but cute nose, wore a baggy sweater, you know her?"

"Oh," The student said, pulling himself away from Raj's grip. "Her name's Danielle,"

"Danielle," Raj said, testing it out. Danielle, Danielle…it was like music to his ears. "What's her last name?"

"Don't know, I only just met her when I tried to hit on her," The guy replied. "She doesn't go here. She says she takes astrophysics classes online while she works,"

Now it was Raj's turned to be surprised. "Then, why was she at my lecture?"

The guy shrugged and started out. "Don't know, dude,"

Raj stood there for a long moment as everyone filed out of the room. It was no accident this girl had talked to him after this lecture. She'd come to this lecture to specifically hear him.

It had to be fate.

* * *

**Because I know someone is going to ask, Danielle is ****_not_**** a student at Caltech. She does take astrophysics classes and did sign up to attend Raj's lecture, but she doesn't go there. I just want to make sure you understand, because I was pretty sure someone wouldn't. **

**This chapter was originally going to be longer, but it is 1,572 words on its own, not counting the AN or disclaimer. So, I'm going to stop here for now. All reviews are very much appreciated. **


	2. Capital 'A' Awkward

**New chapter! I hope you enjoy it! I'll try to post a chapter twice a week. But I can't promise I'll always be perfect at updating because even I get writer's block sometimes. But, I will try, so unless I say otherwise expect a new chapter every Tuesday and Thursday! **

**And thanks for all your reviews, favorites and/or alerts. They mean a lot to me.**

**DISCLAIMER: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't own The Big Bang Theory…**

* * *

Penny and Bernadette walked into the restaurant a few minutes late Friday night. Everyone was already there when they arrived and slipped into their seats. "Hey," Leonard and Howard both said to them at the same time. Penny smiled half-heartedly as Leonard slipped his fingers through hers, while Bernadette held back a jerk when Howard kissed her lightly on the lips. It was awkward for the two women to be around their significant others when they were probably carrying their offspring, and they had no idea – capital 'A' awkward.

"What took you guys so long?" Raj asked. "I've been waiting to toast myself since this afternoon,"

"Oh, because of your lecture? How'd it go?" Leonard asked.

"Did you give me credit?" Sheldon added. He was annoyed as is with his schedule being interrupted. Amy had forced him to come.

"Yes, good, and of course!" Raj said the last two words sarcastically, but Sheldon didn't pick up on it, he simply smiled to himself.

"But," Raj continued. "The best part is, I met a girl,"

All around the table, everyone paused. "A girl?" They said it sync. Some of them were shocked and some sounded proud, some were a combination of both.

"Her name's _Danielle_," Raj sighed, resting his chin on his hand dreamily.

"Danielle?" Howard echoed.

"Danielle," Raj affirmed. "She doesn't even go to Caltech – she came specifically to hear me. _Me!_" He sighed. "Danielle Koothrappali…has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" Across the table, Penny rolled her eyes.

"I have a cousin named Danielle," Amy said. "Sure, she was originally a Daniel, but I heard she just got surgery that made her a Danielle." Stares were the collective response. Amy was unfazed.

"Umm, excuse me," Raj said, flagging down the waitress.

She walked over. "Do you need anything?"

"Yes, can we get a bottle of wine for the table, please? Whatever you recommend," Sheldon cleared his throat and Raj sighed. "And a Long Island Iced Tea for this guy," He said, jabbing a finger at Sheldon.

Bernadette froze. She'd always somewhat resented her mother for those prenatal cigarettes, and there was no way she was possibly harming her child with alcohol. But, what would she tell her friends? They'd knew something was up if she wasn't drinking.

"Coming right up," The waitress chirped.

Bernadette shot Penny a wide eyed look. _What am I going to do? _She mouthed.

_I got this, don't worry. _Penny mouthed back. She dropped her napkin on the table and stood up. "If you guys will excuse me, I must…freshen up," Before anyone could say anything else, Penny was already walking off.

"Excuse me," Penny said, tapping their waitress on the back. She turned around, smiling brightly. She was so damn chipper...

"Is there a problem?" The waitress asked.

"Ummm, not quite," Penny told her. She looked precautiously over her shoulder before turning back around and lowering her voice. "You see, me and my friend – the little blonde girl with glasses in the dress? See?" She discreetly pointed to Bernadette so the waitress knew who she was talking about. "Well, we're pregnant –"

"Oh, congratulations!" The waitress said a little too loudly.

"Thank you. Umm, you see we haven't told our partners yet, we want to wait for the right time. So, obviously we can't tell them why we can't drink. Do you think you could just put some grape juice in our wine glasses and so they think we're drinking when we're not?"

"Of course," The waitress responded. Penny smiled and began to walk away. "Congrats again on your baby!" The waitress called out after her, loud enough so Penny heard but no one else.

Penny stopped, paused for a moment, and then turned back around. "Thank you," She said, her voice slightly strained, before she kept on going.

A few minutes later, when the waitress dropped off their drinks, Penny swore she winked at her. She took a swig of her grape juice and chose to ignore it.

* * *

"Hey, Penny," Amy whispered, leaning across the table. Penny paused from running her finger along the rim of the glass to look up. "Is Sheldon aware of the ingredients of-"

"Ssh!" Penny cut her off, raising a finger to her lips. "No, he's not!"

At this, Amy cast a glance at her boyfriend, who was on Long Island Iced Tea number three and getting sloppy. She smirked and glanced back at Penny. "Oh, interesting," She wasn't exactly sober either, Penny could tell by how she slurred.

Their waitress plopped the check down on the table. "Thank you, have a good night!" She smiled at them, and Penny looked away. When she turned back, she was gone and Raj was retrieving his credit card.

"Come on, Raj," Bernadette said, rising and grabbing her purse. "I'll drive you home, and Howard can follow us in your car," One toast had ended up turning into five for the astrophysicist.

"You sure you're okay to drive?" Howard asked, touching the small of his wife's back as she helped Raj stand up.

_If only he knew…_Bernadette thought to herself. "I only had one glass," She said to him. "I'm just a sober as you," Honestly, the one glass had been all Bernadette had been able to choke down. She couldn't think about the life possibly growing inside her, not tonight, not until she got a blood test next week. "Come on, let's go,"

"See you guys!" Raj called out as he was dragged out, Bernadette on one side and Howard on the other. He made a 'call me' symbol to a girl in a booth, causing an older man who was either her father or her sugar daddy to rise in his seat angrily, making Raj fearfully turn away.

"We should go too," Leonard said to Penny. He offered his hand to her and Penny hesitantly took it, standing up.

Leonard offered a half-wave to the Shamy. "Take the bus home, do whatever it is Homo Novus' do, goodnight,"

Once the other couple was gone, Amy turned to Sheldon. "So, you want to go back to my place for a Nightcap?" Sheldon opened his mouth to object. "I still have Yoo-hoo,"

He was sold then.


	3. Sleepless in Pasadena

**I find Shamy really one of the hardest couples to write. They have such high IQs and distinct personalities I always feel like I didn't do their characters justice. Well, here we go. **

**DISCLAIMER: Don't worry CBS, I'll return the characters of The Big Bang Theory when I'm done with them.**

* * *

"You know, Amy," Sheldon said as he took a sip of his Yoohoo, narrowly missing his mouth. Amy wiped it off his chin with a smile. "There's an experiment I think I'd like to do, but I need your help,"

"Oh, and what is that?" Amy asked coyly. She was cut off when Sheldon leaned over and planted one on her.

The kiss was brief, fleeting. One moment, Amy was talking, the next she felt Sheldon Cooper's lips against hers, and the next he was sitting back upright again and drinking his beverage. Even in her drunken state, Amy blinked in astonishment.

That was the first time Sheldon had initiated physical contact, probably in his whole life.

"What? Sheldon, I – what are you…?"

Sheldon blinked. "Succumbing to my physical urges, it would appear,"

"So, you're aware that's what you're doing?" Amy asked. Never did she think that Sheldon Cooper would be instigating intimacy, especially if he knew that's what they were doing when they were doing it.

"I am," Sheldon answered coolly. "Amy, I have an eidetic memory. Although I wish I could forget it, I do remember what I read in those books Leonard and Penny got me, or what knowledge was forced upon me in health classes."

"You do realize I've been waiting our entire relationship for this moment?"

"…Yes,"

"The fact that our lips were just touching does not make you uncomfortable?"

"No," He paused. "Your lips were actually quite soft, I liked how they felt."

Amy instinctively reached a hand up to her lips. With only a bit of discomfort that Amy's questioning had probably caused, Sheldon leaned forward and kissed her on the lips again. Amy noticed his lips were soft too. Their kiss still only lasted a few seconds, but Amy still felt butterflies start up in her stomach. "I think…" She stammered. "I think protocol dictates this is the part where we go to the bedroom."

Sheldon nodded. "It would appear so." But he didn't move.

"I thought you said you were aware of how these…_things_, go."

"I am, I'm just wondering…Do we just walk there, or I have to carry you?"

Amy pondered this. "I do believe that the carrying over the threshold is saved for the wedding night, so I suppose we just walk in."

"Alright then," Sheldon stood up and gestured towards Amy's bedroom. "After you,"

Amy stood up shakily. This was seriously happening. "Thank you," She said, before turning away and walking into her room. She cast a glance over her shoulder at Sheldon, who was following her. "_Hoo_,"

* * *

As Penny lay in bed next to Leonard, she willed sleep to come. But with all the different thoughts running through her head, it wasn't happening. She could feel Leonard's warmth next to her, and if she just stopped for a second, she could hear his slow, steady breathing. She knew there was no way she'd be able to sleep if she didn't get this off her chest.

"Leonard?" Penny said softly. She paused for a moment and when her boyfriend didn't respond, she said it a little louder. "Leonard." Next to her, he stirred, but didn't get up. "Leonard!" Now he blinked and sat up straight, looking over at Penny to make sure she was alright, appearing concerned, which she found sweet. When he realized she was fine though, he looked just plain tired.

"Penny, what is it?"

"I need to talk to you about something,"

Leonard fumbled for his glasses and glanced at Penny's bedside clock. He frowned and turned back to her. "It's…it's one am,"

"I know," Penny sighed. "I just can't sleep."

"So, that means I can't sleep either?"

"Leonard!"

"Sorry, sorry," The experimental physicist said, brushing a stray hair out of his girlfriend's face. "What is it, love?"

"Okay…" Penny did not know how to approach the topic. She had to do this gently, because the last thing she needed was Leonard to freak out and overanalyze. "Leonard, do you think about the future?"

"Of course I do," Leonard said. "Doesn't everyone?"

"I meant with me," It came out sounding dejected, worried, and not at all how she wanted it to.

His face softened at her tone, probably thinking she was feeling insecure again. "Penny, of course I want a future with you. I think about it all the time, I don't want anything more and that's the truth."

"What do you see?" She asked, putting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes.

Leonard paused and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "I see you and me…married." He said the word hesitantly, not because he didn't want it but because he knew that when he mentioned it to Penny before it wasn't a pleasant experience. When she didn't react negatively, Leonard continued. "And we have this beautiful life together. You're standing outside our dream house and I walk up next to you, and you smile at me, then go back to watching our brood of little Penny's playing in the lawn. We even have a dog, like every other cliché, happy family. And I can't wait until the day that it happens,"

As Leonard said this, Penny couldn't help but imagine the scenario play out in her head. She could see it – the house, the husband, the family, the dog, all of it. She suddenly feels like she might cry.

Apparently, Leonard noticed. "Penny, are you alright? Did I…did I say something?"

Penny sniffled as she saw the look of hurt and confusion cross his face. "No, no it wasn't anything you said just…" She sniffled again. "I'm late,"

At this statement, Leonard's expression went to just one of plain confusion. Penny imagined it was not unlike how she'd reacted when Bernadette had said the same thing to her earlier that day. Finally, Leonard got it. "_Oh_. Oh my God. So that does that mean you're…you know?" He gestured to her midsection.

"I'm not positive," Penny replied. She realized Leonard was still holding onto her, and slowly separated herself. "But, I couldn't just not say anything. I mean, I figured you had a right to know about my…concerns,"

"Penny," Leonard said softly. "You know I love you. I've dreamt of having children with you since the day I first saw you."

At this, Penny perked up a little. "Really?"

Leonard nodded. "Really. So, maybe our dream life will just happen a little out of order. That doesn't mean I'll love you any less." Penny smiled and accepted his lips when he offered them.

"I love you too," She said. "I think I can sleep now,"

* * *

**Okay, I'm going to say this before any of you ask me about it. I personally like that Sheldon and Amy do not have a sexual relationship, because so many relationships on TV nowadays are just based on sex. In my opinion, you don't need sex to have a good relationship. Sure, I'd like for Shamy to actually hold hands sometimes or maybe kiss a little, but I'm fine with them not having sex. So, in this story Sheldon and Amy will not suddenly be sex crazy or anything, this simply causes them to make gradual changes to their relationship paradigm. Does that make sense? **

**Oh, and reviews are nice. **


	4. Shamy Does The Walk of Shame

**DISCLAIMER: Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady and Steven Molaro own these awesomesauce characters, not me.**

* * *

Sheldon slowly blinked as he woke up, stretching his arms out in front of him. Hmm, his bed was warm…Wait a minute. Sheldon's eyes were wide open now, looking around in horror. This wasn't his room! He rolled over, and was astounded to find a sleeping Amy Farrah Fowler next to him. The shifting of his weight caused her to stir and then woke up, the blanket falling off her as she sat up to expose her bare shoulders.

Sheldon wasn't an idiot. In fact, he was the farthest thing from it. He knew what this meant.

Apparently, Amy did too. "Oh my God," She said, sitting up farther. The blanket slid off her top half completely, and Sheldon immediately felt uncomfortable. Sure, it wasn't like the first time he'd seen…_them_, but it was slowly sinking in that last night he'd probably done…_stuff_ to them.

An awkward silence fell between them. "So," Sheldon said finally. "How should we precede?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do we simply return to life as normal? Do we tell anyone? Do we write up a new Relationship Agreement?"

Amy pondered this for a moment, tugging the blanket back up to her elbows. "I suppose we try to keep our relationship paradigm as consistent as possible." She began. "And we should write up a new clause on the Relationship Agreement in case this thing ever happens again."

Sheldon nodded. "Agreed. Coitus will not be in violation of the Relationship Agreement if intoxication is affecting both parties."

"Well…"

"Well what?"

"I wouldn't mind a night of love making every once in a while that leaves me satisfied and enflames my loins." Amy blurted it out in one breath, and looked at Sheldon hopefully.

"…On anniversaries only."

"Anniversaries, both our birthdays and Valentine's Day."

"Anniversaries and Valentine's Day, spooning on your birthday and I reserve the right to sanitize at any time."

"And I want a Public Displays of Affection section."

"Private Displays of Affection when necessary and public hand holding on a biweekly basis,"

"Sheldon Lee Cooper?"

"Yes, Amy Farrah Fowler?"

"You have yourself a deal."

* * *

Sheldon peeked into the door to 4A and looked both ways before turning to Amy. "The coast is clear," He said and Amy nodded. She reached to open the door and it creaked as she did so. "Sssh!" Sheldon said. "Open it quietly! Women's hearing has adapted so that the sounds of a crying baby will awaken them, if we don't want to disturb Penny we must avoid making any sounds in a higher register. Try talking a little lower." He said the last sentence in a deeper voice, which inadvertently made Amy swoon, the second time in twenty-four hours he'd done so.

The neurobiologist fanned her face with her hand. "_Hoo_!"

"Amy!" The physicist chastised. He realized he himself had spoken in his normal register and cleared his throat. "I mean, Amy."

"Well, well, well,"

The Homo Novus' looked towards the hallway, where Leonard and Penny had appeared. The latter flashed them a toothy, sarcastic grin, while the former smirked. "Never did I think I'd see Sheldon Cooper do the walk of shame. You go, Ames!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Penny," Sheldon replied, although he didn't sound whatsoever believable. He'd always been a terrible liar.

"Oh, yeah," Leonard chimed in sarcastically. "You and Amy show up in the same clothes you wore the night before with bloodshot eyes and beheads. Yup, nothing happened,"

Sheldon turned to Penny. "See? Leonard gets it."

Penny rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen. "You want breakfast?" She asked Leonard. "I can make French toast,"

"Sure,"

Sheldon frowned. "But today I eat cereal with 1/4 a cup of 2% milk. You can't violate the schedule,"

"Well," Penny scoffed as she got the ingredients. "You violated the schedule first! Since when is Friday have sex with Amy night?"

"False! You all violated the schedule first by going out to dinner on Chinese food night!"

Penny sighed. "Fine, Sheldon, you win!"

Sheldon smirked. "Thank you," He said, before walking off towards his bedroom.

Now, Leonard and Penny shifted their focus to Amy. "Well," She said. "It was nice seeing you bestie, Leonard," Then, she left, as quickly as possible.

"Wow," They both said at the same time.

"Did that seriously just happen?"

"Yeah, I think it did."

"Let's not talk about it okay? Bad mental images,"

"Okay."

Neither of them said anything for a moment as Penny began to whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon, while Leonard plugged in the coffee maker. "You want some coffee?" He asked.

"No thanks," Penny replied. "I umm…don't want to drink a lot of caffeine in case…you know."

"Oh," Leonard said awkwardly. "Right, sorry."

"It's okay,"

It was silent again for a moment, all either of them could hear was the sound of the whisk in the bowl and the coffee maker turning on. "So…when's your appointment?" Leonard finally asked.

"Tomorrow,"

"Cool…"

"Do you…want to come with?"

"…Sure."

Penny undid the twisty on the bread and began to dip the slices in her mixture. Leonard's coffee began to brew. "Leonard?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we'd be good parents?"

Their eyes locked at this, brown meeting green. "I think we'd make the best parents,"

* * *

**A little shorter than I would've liked – sorry! I hope you liked it anyway. This is the last of chapter I've already written. Someone give me some motivation to write some more? **

**See you again next Tuesday! **


	5. In Which Raj Finally Catches a Break

**Wrote this really, really quickly so hope it's good! Enjoy! **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything, okay?**

* * *

Penny reached out for Leonard's hand, and a second later she felt him grab onto her. As she sat in the doctor's office, she felt nervous. Why wouldn't they just call her name already? Honestly, Penny just wanted to confirm or deny her pregnancy and get out of there. The stark white walls, awkward silence and blank stares that surrounded her made her uncomfortable.

Across the waiting room, a frazzled middle aged woman was trying to control two toddlers and sooth a newborn at the same time. Next to them sat a couple who were beaming at each other – the woman was very, very pregnant. Penny wrinkled her nose in thought, imaging herself as one of them.

Leonard rubbed her hand. "It's going to be okay," He whispered. She nodded.

"I love you," The words that she had once been unable to say now came out of her mouth easily, naturally.

"I love you, too," Leonard replied, smiling. It still surprised him sometime that a woman like Penny could love someone like him.

A nurse in purple and blue scrubs appeared from the back. "Penny?" She called.

Penny stood up, and the other people in the waiting room gave her a look. She met their stares and then turned away, still holding Leonard's hand. She looked back at him for reassurance. "You ready?" He asked.

After a moment, Penny nodded. "I think so,"

The nurse was still waiting patiently, tapping her fingers against her clipboard. With a smile, she started off, and Leonard and Penny followed her, about to find out once and for all if they were really going to do this.

* * *

Howard had noticed a change in Bernadette recently.

To most people, it wouldn't seem like much. She was just a little quieter than usual, slept with her back facing him, and would sometimes snap at him when she just didn't feel like talking. It was little things like that that he'd noticed lately and now he was genuinely concerned. At first, he'd just blamed it on PMS or some other girl thing he just didn't understand but now, he realized it was nothing of the sort.

Before they'd left for work that morning, Bernadette had told him that she needed him to come home ASAP tomorrow, because she had something really important to tell him. Howard finally had an idea what was up with his wife's strange behavior. Whenever a woman wanted to talk, it never ended well.

He just really hoped it wasn't something he'd done.

* * *

Raj had tried everything. He'd asked every astrophysics professor he knew if they taught a girl named Danielle, and the ones who did didn't teach his Danielle. He went to all the closest restaurants and clothing stores, hoping she'd be his waitress or a clerk. While he was waited on by some beautiful women who he could only talk to after a visit to a bar, none of them were Danielle. He couldn't look her up in the phonebook; he didn't know her last name. It was useless. Now, he grabbed his coffee from the barista and sat at an empty table, rubbing his temples. This was it; he'd never find her…

"Dr. Koothrappali?"

Found her.

Danielle smiled at him as she entered the coffee shop, walking over to his table and sitting down. Today her brown hair was pulled back into a long braid, her bangs falling free. She wore a loose, white blouse, a pair of skinny jeans and tall, brown boots. Her makeup was natural, just a little bit of lip gloss and brown eye shadow to match her outfit. She looked gorgeous.

Raj opened his mouth, but nothing came out. _Come on, Raj. _He thought to himself. _Just speak, you know you want to. You can talk to Penny and Bernadette and Amy, why can't you talk to her…_ He gulped. "Hell…hello." The word came out shaky, but it still came out, and that was a huge improvement.

"You know, I was just thinking about you," Danielle said, still smiling.

"You…you were?"

She nodded. "I was reading one of your papers, and it really got me thinking about the possibilities of life on other planets. It's really interesting to think about, and no one has really taken the intellectual approach to it you do." She paused, biting her lip. "Would you…would you like to discuss it sometime? Maybe over lunch?"

Raj froze, and he knew there was no way he'd be able to find the words to answer her, so he just nodded vigorously.

"Cheesecake Factory, tomorrow, twelve o'clock?"

He nodded again, beaming. Danielle returned his grin, standing up. "I'll see you then, Dr. Koothrappali." She turned to go and started out.

Raj cleared his throat. "Ra…Raj."

Danielle turned around. "Did you say something, Dr. Koothrappali?"

"You…you can call me Raj." He said.

"Oh," Danielle laughed. "Well then, see you then, Dr. Koothrappali."

When she was gone, he fist pumped the air. Fate had laid a hand once again.


	6. (Un)Pleasant Surprises

**I would've posted this before TBBT but I had a lot of stuff to do. So, here it is now. Did you guys enjoy the show?**

**DISCLAIMER: I guess I own Danielle. Cool.**

* * *

_I'm very sorry, but it seems like you won't be able to have children. _

_I'm very sorry, but it seems like you won't be able to have children. _

_I'm very sorry, but it seems like you won't be able to have children. _

_Won't be able to have children. _

As Penny woke up, her pillow still wet from how hard she'd been crying the night before, the words the nurse had given her still rung in her mind. Penny had never really thought about this possibility before. It was true she'd had late periods or ones that hadn't even come at all, but she'd simply assumed all those pregnancy scares were just because she was promiscuous. But no, it was because she couldn't have kids.

They'd said something was wrong with her eggs – they'd used some big, fancy name for it Penny couldn't remember. She'd heard that she was infertile and zoned out. Just an hour before, she'd been preparing herself to welcome a child into the world, and now they were telling her she'd never be able to do that? Not only was she not pregnant now, she never would be. It hit her a million times harder than she ever thought it would.

Leonard's side of the bed was still warm – he hadn't left too long ago. Penny rolled over, looking at the clock, and saw it was just past eight am. There was a small piece of paper tucked under her alarm, and Penny picked it up, opening the note.

_Stay strong.  
-L_

She'd fallen asleep last night in his arms, both of them crying, her even harder than him for once. They'd spent all night like that, just wallowing in their sorrow together.

They couldn't ever have a baby together, and that devastated both of them.

* * *

They wouldn't have any smart and beautiful babies.

It seemed to take days for that news to take full effect, even though it was only about twenty four hours. He'd never have babies with Penny's looks and his brains, their love would never be able to create life. He loved her more than anything, and they'd never be able to have a child. Try as they might, they couldn't. That door has already been closed for them.

Leonard took the steps two at a time, trying to think of other things, but he couldn't. He probably should've stayed home today, Penny needed him, but he knew if he did he wouldn't be able to stop thinking about the news. Even though he'd tried to run away from it, he couldn't. His mind was still racing, trying to process the fact he'd most likely never be a father.

They could adopt, he knew that. He also knew he probably sounded so selfish for thinking this, but it wouldn't be the same. He'd dreamed of green eyed babies that looked like Penny since the day he met her. He'd indulged in fantasies of telling her she was beautiful as her belly grew, and holding her hand while she gave birth, and counting tiny fingers and toes in a hospital room. And now all of that has been oh so cruelly yanked away from him.

They don't prepare you for this.

* * *

"So," Danielle said, resting her chin in her hand. "Dr.-_Raj_," She corrected herself, remembering his instructions to call him by his first name. "What else do you like besides astrophysics?"

Raj was currently having lunch with her, sitting across from her at a Cheesecake Factory table. So far, everything had gone smoothly, and she'd listened, fascinated, as he talked about his theories for almost a half an hour.

"Hmmm," Raj said, thinking. "I do enjoy a good Sandra Bullock movie."

Danielle's face brightened. "Me too!"

"She's a real gem, isn't she?"

"Quite!"

Raj continued to think. "Umm, doing the vocals in _Rock Band_…"

"Ooh!" Danielle chimed in. "We must duet some time! Go on, go on."

"…and _Eat, Pray, Love _definitely changed my life."

Danielle nearly choked on her iced tea. "You're kidding! Mine too!"

"Isn't it admirable how Elizabeth found happiness in her life after her divorce?" Raj said.

"It is," Danielle replied, twirling a strand of dark hair around her finger. "It gave me a lot of strength to deal with my own love life."

"You?" Raj asked. "You're a pretty girl, Danielle. Don't guys ask you out all the time?"

Danielle's face faltered, and then she shrugged. "Sometimes. A lot of them turned out to be jerks though. It's really hard to find a guy who wants more than just sex." She sighed, looking dreamily down at her drink.

"I don't want just sex," Raj blurted out far too quickly. Danielle looked up at him and Raj ducked his head, embarrassed. But, then Danielle started to laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Everything," She said vaguely. "Raj, let me just say I really like you."

Raj smiled. "I really like you too."

* * *

Bernadette wasn't having a good day. As she sat at her desk, she put her head in her hands, closing her eyes. She'd been so stressed out lately. Not with just this whole pregnancy thing, but with Howard and her job too. She sighed, reaching a hand to rub her back. She'd been cramping a lot today – it wasn't really bad, but just enough to be noticeable.

She was going to tell Howard tonight, and that was definitely stressing her out. Bernadette had kind of wished she'd told him earlier, but she'd just needed some time to wrap her head around the whole thing. Now, she'd wished she'd told him right away. Bernadette wished she had Howard for moral support right now.

But right now, she just had to get this work done. Bernadette shifted in her seat, ready to get back to work, but then she froze. She reached a hand down, and when she lifted her fingers back up, she emitted a loud gasp, her other hand reaching up to cover her mouth.

Blood. She was bleeding.


	7. The Beginning of the End

**I almost forgot that today was update day. Good thing I remembered, huh? This chapter is kind of (okay, really, ****_really_****) angsty, just so you know. I think you'll probably all be mad at me…**

**Note: That pregnancy related stuff I warned you about before the prologue? Yeah, some more of that…you've been warned again. **

**DISCLAIMER: I own Danielle and…well, that's about it.**

* * *

By the time Howard had finally reached the hospital desk, he was totally out of breath. He'd been running ever since he got the call – running out of work, running to his car, and now, running down the hospital corridor. All they'd told him was that Bernadette was in the hospital, and he didn't know why. He had to make sure she was okay.

"Excuse me," Howard said to the woman behind the desk, who looked up at him.

"Yes? What seems to be the problem? Do you need a room?" She asked.

"What?" Howard breathed. He then realized that she thought he was here to check himself in. He probably looked like he was having a heart attack after all that running. What could he say – he'd never been good at gym, and those tight pants he always wore weren't exactly made for prolonged physical activity. "Oh, no, no I'm not here for me. I need my wife's room number – Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz?" The woman typed this into the computer, and when it came up she frowned. He immediately thought the worst. "Oh my God, is she dead?!"

The woman behind the desk gave him a sympathetic look. "No, Mr. Wolowitz. Your wife is very much alive. She is in Room 1313. I'd be careful around her though, I'd imagine she's in a fragile state right now."

"Fragile?" Howard repeated. "Fragile, why would she be fragile?"

The woman's frowned deepened and she gave him a look of pure pity. He hated that look; it was one he got a lot after his dad left. "Mr. Wolowitz, I'm very sorry, but your wife has had a miscarriage."

Suddenly, Howard wasn't thinking about his heavy breathing or how hard his heart was beating or that his legs felt like they were on fire. He must've heard the woman wrong – there was no way Bernadette, his Bernadette, could've possibly had a miscarriage, because that implied that she'd been…

…Pregnant. With his baby. And hadn't told him.

But then Howard realized he hadn't heard the woman wrong. She was currently explaining that Bernadette – yes, his Bernadette – was experiencing an inevitable miscarriage, which meant she had yet to expel the ba-_fetus_. She called it a fetus, not a baby.

"Pregnancy loss is imminent and will complete in anything from hours to days to weeks." The woman concluded. "Once again, I am so very sorry for your loss."

"I think…" He said, still processing all of this information that had just been thrown at him. "I think I'll just go see her, and make sure she's okay, if that's alright."

The woman behind the desk nodded. "Room 1313," She repeated.

"Thank you," Howard said, before starting off to Bernadette's room. While he'd spent the whole way there running, now he found it immensely difficult now to put one foot in front of the other. Finally, after a walk that felt like it went on forever, he found Room 1313. For a moment, he just stood there, not knowing what he was going to see on the other side of the door. "Be a man, Wolowitz," Howard said to himself. Then, he opened the door.

There wasn't lots of blood. There wasn't a dead baby/fetus. What he saw was much worse. Bernadette was crying. And not just crying, she was full out sobbing. Howard had never seen her cry like that before. She didn't even hear him as he walked over, and she didn't notice his presence until he sat down beside her bed and ran a hand through her hair soothingly. Bernadette turned to look at him, her eyes red and wet, her crying beginning to lessen but her facial expression still unchanged.

He spewed the question out without thinking. He just had to hear some things from her. "How far along were you?"

She sniffled, knowing he knew. This wasn't how she wanted him to find out, of course it wasn't. She was going to make it special when she told him about the incoming addition, that he would be getting the child he always wanted and they'd be a real family. She didn't want him to find out from a stranger in a hospital that their little unborn baby was dying, that the baby he wanted wouldn't get a chance at life. She was going to tell him tonight. Had she done it yesterday or the day before, he wouldn't have had to find out this way. "About eight weeks," She said. "But they think the…the baby stopped developing around six and a half or seven." Suddenly, it was hard for her to look him in the eyes. She didn't want to see the hurt in them, because then she'd start crying again, she knew she would. She'd cried on and off ever since she'd realized she was bleeding, it getting progressively harder and harder, because in the back of her mind she'd known what that meant, she just refused to admit it to herself as she sobbed. When they told her she was going to lose the baby, confirming her nagging fears, she'd practically fallen apart. If she hadn't been such a wreck, she would've been shocked by the intensity of her emotions. She hadn't wanted the child in the first place; she'd never wanted to be a mother. And yet, when she'd heard the news she couldn't handle it. For the past week she'd been kind of, sort of, well…_excited _about having a baby with Howard. She knew he would be a good father, and she knew that he'd love their child very much – they both would've. And now, they weren't having a baby, they were losing a baby.

"How long did you know?" Howard asked. He wasn't looking at her either, and he was trying so hard not to cry, because that was the last thing he wanted to do right now. _Be a man, Wolowitz._ He repeated in his head over and over again, the same words he'd said outside the door. _Be a man, Wolowitz. Be a man. _

"…Just a week,"

"_A week?_"

His voice sounded so shocked and so sad, like he couldn't believe for the past week she'd known and hadn't said anything, that Bernadette felt even guiltier than she already did. She looked at him now and immediately regretted it – they both looked like they were about to cry. She can't remember the last time she saw Howard cry. It'd been a long time since he'd openly cried in front of her.

"I had to wrap my head around it before I could tell you," She said in her defense. "Little did I know by the time I found out it was already the beginning of the end…"

"One last question," He said, pausing afterwards. "…Did you love it?"

This question hurt so much more than the other two. "…Yes," She answered. "Yes, I did…yes I do."

Then, neither one of them said anything. What was there to say? Assigning blame wouldn't help. They were both too distraught to make any attempts at comforting the other. So, they were silent.

In a time like this, her mother would say that God was testing her. She didn't believe for a second that He would make her go through this indescribable pain and emptiness she was currently experiencing. No one should ever have to go through that.

It seems that some people are meant to do the unpleasant jobs, and right now she's one of them. And it is worse than she ever thought it would be.

* * *

**I started this chapter around 8 and as I'm tying this AN now it is…9:51. Writing this chapter just made me cry, like seriously. **

**So ummm…review, I guess? Tell me you hate me, yell at me, it's fine. Or tell me you love me if you want but I highly doubt any of you will…**


	8. Must Be Something in the Hospital Coffee

**Welp, I'm still alive after last chapter. That's always good. **

**DISCLAIMER: I really hate writing theses…I don't own anything; you all know the drill by now.**

* * *

When Howard finally emerged from the hospital room approximately thirty minutes later, he found Raj waiting for him. He'd totally forgotten about the panicked call he'd made to his best friend on the way.

"What's going on dude?" Raj asked, holding his hands up in a 'what the Hell' gesture. "I was on a date with Danielle when you called and –"

"Danielle, as in the girl from the university?" Howard asked, not that he was exactly enthusiastic.

"She's not a student!" Raj responded. "That would be illegal."

"Actually, not illegal, just bad enough to get you fired." Howard sighed, sitting down next to Raj. "So, how was your date going?"

"Good, until you called me. I was really worried about you and Bernadette so I told her we had to go to the hospital."

"She's here?"

"Yeah, in the cafeteria, getting coffee." Raj paused. "Alright dude, now tell me what's going on. Is Bernadette okay?"

Howard looked down. "…She had a miscarriage, Raj."

Raj's eyes widened and for a moment he didn't say anything as Howard met his eyes again. "How could you not tell me? Your wife's pregnant and you didn't let me know?"

"She didn't let _me_ know Raj!"

"She didn't tell you?"

"No, apparently it never crossed her mind!" He replied sarcastically, before sighing to himself.

"Did she cheat on you?" Raj asked. "Was it yours?" He wasn't joking – he was serious.

"Yes it is mine, Raj!" Howard didn't notice. "…Was mine…I…look, you're being really insensitive right now so just go back to your date or…or something."

Raj didn't budge. "Howard...look, I understand how you must be feeling…"

"Do you?"

"What?"

"Have you lost a child, Raj?"

"Well…no, but…"

"Then you don't understand."

Raj opened his mouth to say something else, but then decided against it. No matter what he said, it wouldn't make Howard feel any better. He had to give him time. "I'll be in the cafeteria if you need me." Howard didn't respond and so, feeling like a complete and total ass, Raj walked away.

* * *

He found Danielle sitting at one of the hospital cafeteria tables, pouring a packet of sugar into her coffee. He walked over and slid into the seat across from her. "Hey," She said. "This coffee really sucks."

"How much sugar have you put in that thing?" Raj asked, rubbing his temples wearily.

"Three," Danielle replied, tearing open a fourth. "If I don't, it just tastes like shit – next time I read a story about a nurse falling asleep on the job I think I'll feel a little more sympathetic." She took a long sip of her coffee and made a face, putting it back down and continuing to add sugar. "So, is your friend Howard okay?"

"He'll be fine," Raj said vaguely, wondering how much he should tell her. Finally, he decided he should just let her know, because if Danielle was going to (hopefully) become his girlfriend, she'd probably hear about it sooner or later. "His wife Bernadette just lost their baby."

Danielle put down her sugar packet and looked up at Raj, an expression on her face that made it look like her own best friend had just lost their unborn child. "You're kidding," She said.

"I wouldn't joke about this kind of thing," Raj told her. He picked up Danielle's coffee cup and took a sip. She was right – it was really bad. "I guess you made the right choice when you decided to hang back."

"Well," Danielle said with a shrug. "You know, I've never met the guy and I figured he needed some space. Having his friend's new girlfriend in the mix wouldn't have helped any."

Raj practically choked. "Did you just say what I think you just said?!"

Danielle reached a hand up to her mouth, narrowly missing spilling coffee all over the table. "Oh my God," She said. Her hand moved from her mouth to her heart and then back to her side. "I am so sorry, I said girlfriend didn't I…Raj, let me just tell you I am not one of those pushy, overprotective girls who tries to put a label on things too soon. I just assumed…but you know what they say when you assume…I've really made an ass out of us haven't I? I'm so sorry Raj, Dr. Koothrappali; I'll just be going…"

Her hand reached for her purse, and instinctively Raj reached out and grabbed her wrist. She looked up at him, surprised, and he was taken off guard by his own boldness as well. "Don't," He said. "…Stay. With me."

Then, Raj did something he'd wanted to do for days. He leaned across the table, took Danielle's chin in his hand and kissed her squarely on the lips. Less than a fraction of a second later, she kissed back, welcoming this audacious move with parted lips and what Raj thought was Pina colada flavored lip gloss. They don't care that they're surrounding by a bunch of people in a hospital cafeteria, some of them probably staring – they are two people experiencing each others' lips for the first time, and it consumes them in mind, body and soul for the time being. The duration is probably only a few seconds, but in those few seconds, they're both mesmerized.

A first kiss is always special. It either makes or breaks your relationship; it either confirms or denies that you're with the right person. You get your first taste of that person's lips, your first whiff of their scent, your first feel of their body. It can be anything you want it to be, just like your relationship, new and fresh and full of promise.

They pulled apart, looking at each other in wonder and amazement. Had they just kissed each other? Yes, they had. "Wow," Raj said. "Just, just…_wow_." He didn't think he could say anything else.

Danielle took his hand. "I'll stay," And stay she did.

* * *

**Lenny and Shamy next time, I think. Oh, and a little Howadette scene that will probably cause you some pain. Yup. **


	9. Oh Baby, Baby

**Hey y'all. Sorry for no updates last week – I was busy and just really didn't feel like writing. And you know that when writing begins to feel like a chore you need to take a break ASAP. But here's a chapter now, enjoy it.**

**I really don't want to write a disclaimer today…you all know I don't own the show right?**

* * *

They left the hospital the same day, and neither Howard nor Bernadette said a single word the ride home, or the way up to the apartment. Bernadette went back to the bedroom immediately, murmuring something about going to lie down. As much as Howard wanted to go after her, he didn't. He probably wouldn't have been able to keep it together right now anyway.

So, what was he supposed to do? He sat down on the couch, crossing his legs and then quickly uncrossing them deeming that position insufficient, planting both feet firmly on the floor. No, not right either. He stood up, and began to pace behind the couch. No, not enough of a distraction. Next, he walked to the kitchen. Maybe he could put on the dishwasher, or something? Okay, that would work...if only he knew how to turn the dishwasher on. Now he kind of wished he'd listened when Bernadette told him how instead of just staring at her butt as she leaned over.

Howard sighed in exasperation, and rubbed his temples, leaning his elbows up on the countertop. He could see all the frozen vegetable bags that Bernadette had left out on the counter to thaw, and decided to put them away, since Howard was sure no one in that house would be eating dinner that night. He started over to the freezer, scanning the labels. _Baby corn. _Read one. _Baby carrots. _Read the other.

He shook his head – oh, irony, it was a bitch – opening the freezer to drop them in. Inside, was a package of baby shrimp. He picked it up, knowing now this was definitely not irony. And if that wasn't enough, he spotted a bag of baby spinach on the other end of the counter, practically glaring at him.

_"I had to wrap my head around it before I could tell you."_

She _was _going to tell him.

Less than a second later he'd picked that up too, and was walking over to the sink. Without a second thought, he pulled out the trash can and dumped all of the packages in, one by one.

_Baby corn. Baby carrots. Baby shrimp. Baby spinach._

_Baby spinach. Baby shrimp. Baby carrots. Baby corn._

_Baby. Baby. Baby. Baby._

_...Be a man, Wolowitz. Be a man._

* * *

**This is actually only half a chapter, but there was originally an author's note here I had to delete, and if I deleted the whole chapter the reviews would've gotten all messed up. So, I decided to take the next chapter, divide it in half and put the first half in place of the AN! **


	10. 17 Days

**Second half of last chapter. **

* * *

"Would you like a hot beverage?"

"No thank you, Sheldon."

"As you are a guest in my home it is customary for me to offer you a hot beverage."

Amy gave her boyfriend a look. He was currently standing by his kitchen island, his collection of tea bags in front of him. "I do not want a hot beverage, Sheldon." She said, a little sterner.

"Alright!" Sheldon replied, annoyance clear in his tone. "There is no need to snap at me, I was simply following social protocol." He took out a tea bag – the same kind he always used – and stuck it in his mug, poking and prodding at it with a spoon so that the hot water would begin to change colors, going from clear to the beginnings of brown. He walked over carefully, so as not to spill his hot beverage, and sat down in his seat, next to Amy. "Shall we begin?" He asked, calmly now.

"Yes," Amy said, watching her tone. "I," She added hesitantly, unable to help herself, "Was ready to get this show on the road ten minutes ago, but somebody was too busy fixing himself some tea." Sheldon frowned at her as he pulled out the document, but for once said nothing.

When Sheldon slapped The New Relationship Agreement – as it was officially known – down on the coffee table, Amy was surprised by how thin it was. The Relationship Agreement – the original one, obviously – had been as long as a short novel, with many different articles, clauses and such. (Not surprisingly, not a single one of those pages was a freaking amendment.)

"If we are going to add coitus to this relationship," Sheldon explained, seeing her surprise. "We might as well throw out some other rules and live likes hippies." Amy ignored this comment, beginning to flip through The New Relationship Agreement. "What do you think?"

"Good so far," Amy said. She continued to read, stopping at the section that began to detail the do's and dont's of their physical relationship. "'No foreplay of any kind, shape or form'?"

Sheldon scoffed. "What do you want me to do?" He asked. "Roll around in perpetual amounts of body glitter and dance like Leonard?"

Now, Amy scoffed. "Oh, _no one_ does foreplay like Leonard…"

"Are you insinuating he's done it for you?"

"What? No!"

Sheldon took a sip of his tea, looking at her over the rim of the mug. Amy kept reading, deciding not to keep discussing the foreplay issue.

"No pet names?" She asked a few moments later.

"Nope," Sheldon replied indignantly.

"So does that mean I can't call you Moonpie?" Amy teased.

Sheldon's eye began to twitch. "No one calls me Moonpie but Meemaw!" He practically hissed.

Amy sighed. "Fine, no foreplay, no pet names!"

"Thank you!"

She shook her head. "I should've got a lawyer…" She murmured under her breath. Sheldon shot her a look of annoyance – damn his Vulcan hearing.

Deeming the rest of the agreement reasonable and what they'd agreed on despite a few minor things – because it was Sheldon, after all – Amy placed it down on the coffee table. Sheldon handed her pen, and pointed to a line on the first page. "Sign here," Amy did so. He flipped to the next page. "Initial here." He pointed to a small line, and she scribbled "AFF" on it. Sheldon flipped to another page, and pointed to another small line. "And here," Amy wrote down another quick "AFF". "Oh no, that handwriting is far too messy." Amy wrote it again. Pleased now, Sheldon flipped to the last page, and pointed to a long line that stretched all the way across the width of the page. "And sign here." Once again, Amy did so.

"Now, it's official." Sheldon proclaimed. "We have now succumbed to the basic, sexual urges of stupid people. If this fails I have the right to blame you."

Amy frowned. "Since when?"

"It was in the agreement!" Sheldon almost laughed. "You should've read the fine print!" He took a sip of his tea.

"…How many days until our next anniversary?"

Sheldon gulped. "17." He answered. "I'd say I'm looking forward to it but that wouldn't be true."

Amy practically smirked. "Just you wait Sheldon Cooper," She said. "In 17 days, I will be giving you a night you will never forget."

* * *

**This was already really long (you know, before I had to divide it in half), and I'm tired, so the promised Lenny scene will come on Thursday. I'll hopefully see you then (and I obviously say – err, write – 'see you' metaphorically). **


	11. Speak of the Leonard

**Oh my God, an update I actually didn't write at the last minute? Do I have a fever? *feels forehead* Nope. **

**DISCLAIMER: Again, I don't own anything!**

* * *

Penny took a final swig from the bottle in her hands, downing the last drop. She placed it down on the floor with the rest of the little collection of empties she'd been starting in the last few days. _One of the perks of not being pregnant, _She thought glumly to herself. _Is that you can drink. _Obviously, that was no consolation.

Right now, Penny was in that moment before you were really drunk, when things were just starting to get blurry. Honestly, she couldn't even remember what show she was pretending to watch because the combination of that and her watery eyes made it hard to see. She hadn't been crying exactly, she'd cried herself out for the most part. She was just…broken, almost. She needed to be alone, and everyone knew when Penny was sad she drank.

_I wonder if I have any schnapps. _She thought. _That really is a fun word to say – schnapps, schnapps…_

Penny was about to get up and look for some, when there was a knock at her door. "Who…who is it?" She called out. Besides people at work, Penny really hadn't talked to anyone since she got the diagnosis two days ago, not even Leonard. Especially not Leonard.

"It's me."

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Apparently the same thing could be said for Leonard.

"Don't come in," Penny answered, her voice sounded half tipsy, and half like it she was about to cry. "I'm…I'm not decent!"

The door burst open, and Leonard stepped inside. Honestly, he'd been worried he'd find her like this – alone, drunk and wallowing in emotion. He'd known Penny long enough to expect something like this. She didn't handle this sort of thing well.

"I said don't come in!" She cried, causing Leonard to snap out of his thoughts. Penny was in sweats with her hair half-pulled back, no makeup on and an assortment of empty alcohol bottles on her floor. She rose and walked into her kitchen, pulling out a bottle of peach schnapps and taking a sip out of the bottle, before taking out a glass and adding ice.

"Well, I did." After Leonard said it, he mentally smacked himself. _Obviously, genius. _He thought. _She can see you! _"Penny, we need to talk."

Penny paused from pouring her schnapps into the glass, looking up at Leonard. "Do you have any lemonade?"

"What?" Leonard asked, confused. "Umm, no, I don't think so."

"Too bad." She emptied the bottle into the glass. "I'll have to drink it straight then." Penny took a swig and kept looked back at him, blinking, waiting.

"Penny, this is obviously because of what happened at the doctor's." When he said this, Penny paused before she gulped, trying to swallow the lump in her throat as well as the schnapps. "We have to talk about this."

"I don't…" She began slowly. "I don't know what to say." Her voice got higher on the last word.

"I still love you," Leonard said softly. "You do know that, right?"

"Leonard, of course I know."

"Well, you had me fooled."

Penny walked over, sitting down next to her boyfriend on the couch and putting her head on his shoulder. She felt his hand begin to trace circles on her back. "I know you love me," She said. "And I love you too; I know that now more than ever. And it's so hard for me to know that I'm depriving you of fatherhood."

"We still have options." He pointed out. "If there's ever a time when you're ready to have a child, you can always take the fertility drugs and see if they work."

"I know but…" She sniffled. "It's just, there's no guarantee they're going to work, you know? And odds are they won't and…when have things ever been easy for us?"

"There are no guarantees in life," Leonard told her. "This roof could cave in and crush us right now. You just never know."

_He's right. _Penny thought. _Damn it, he's right. _"You're right."

"And yes," He continued. "Things haven't been easy, but we're here now right? They made us stronger."

For the first time in a while, Penny smiled. "I love you." She said. "You're really cool with this?"

"Of course," Leonard affirmed. "I want to be with you, no matter what."

She ducked her head, and he tilted her chin up, kissing her on the lips. He really did love this woman. She'd never know how much. And as they pulled apart, and he looked into her eyes, he still saw doubt.

* * *

**Okay, because some stuff is coming up that is going to kind of conflict with what has happened on TBBT recently (and well, we kind of already have conflicted with it since there's no Lucy) so this is just a reminder that none of the stuff currently going on has happened. This is totally AU after The Santa Simulation. **

**By the way, I'd really like some reviews. I know you're all out there – I see the hits! This chapter took me two hours to write, while posting a review doesn't even take two minutes. So please, review. I'd like to know what you think. **


	12. Newton's Laws of Emotion

**I was going to make this chapter about the friendships between the girls and the guys, but then once I wrote the girls part, I realize it was already really long on its own. So, the next chapter will be about the boys. Enjoy, and maybe leave a review (yes, that ****_is_**** a hint). Again, I know you're out there! *waves***

**DISCLAIMER: Don't own shizznit.**

* * *

In a close knit friendship circle like theirs, secrets weren't secrets for long, and gossip spread fast. It was only a matter of time until everyone knew what was really going on.

The news of Bernadette's miscarriage spread quickly amongst the little group. Suddenly, everyone just started acting carefully. Around Howard, they pretended nothing had happened, trying to be like their normal selves but failing because of their poor acting. Around Bernadette everyone tiptoed (metaphorically, of course), speaking soft and gentle "How you feeling?"'s and "Can I get you anything?"'s. They knew that she was emotionally fragile, and that her miscarriage could complete at any time. Neither Howard nor Bernadette responded well. Howard tried to play along but wasn't fooling anyone – except for maybe Sheldon – while Bernadette's sadness was evident and frankly depressing.

Sometime after that, Penny told everyone about what had her down as well. Her friends treated her and Leonard somewhere in between how they'd treated Howard and Bernadette – they were sympathetic at first, but then tried to act normal after a few days, figuring that would be more helpful.

And so, time went on. Some days it felt like it wouldn't, but some days were promising, and some were in between. Honestly to Penny, it was actually better that her friends knew. She didn't have to keep it bottled up inside, and if she ever decided she wanted to talk, she could, yet if she wanted to get her mind off it she could too, or at least try to.

But, she felt terrible for Bernadette. She could only imagine the immense guilt the little blonde was feeling – her own feelings of responsibility were probably nothing in comparison to Bernadette's. When Penny had first heard about Bernadette's miscarriage, she'd realize that they'd lost their babies less than twenty-four hours apart, just in different ways. Penny had found out the child she was ready to love didn't exist at all, while Bernadette had been hit with the crushing blow that the child she hadn't wanted but her husband had had died within her. Again, while Penny knew now that her inability to conceive was not her fault and Bernadette's miscarriage wasn't her fault either, surely Bernadette was being nagged by fears that it had been something she'd done. Penny had a strong feeling that she wasn't the worst off here.

Penny still drank. Not in excess, but more than usual. Life was in fact continuing, like it always did, but there were some moments were she would just stop and thoughts of her current situation would overtake her, and her body would shake or tears would spring to her eyes. Reaching for a bottle was the easy way out. There were also times when her, Bernadette and Amy were together and Bernadette would do something so…just so un-Bernadette like, that Penny would just feel an ache in her heart and lift the bottle to her lips, as if she could drink away everyone's pain. Obviously she couldn't, but she kept trying.

Bernadette's grieving process had two sides. There was the sad, moping side most people saw. She wasn't the sweet, happy Bernadette she usually was. She was much more quiet, introverted. When she hung out with Penny and Amy – which was rare, and only after they called, texted and/or emailed her so many times she had to say yes – she didn't say much, unless they addressed her. When she was at home, Howard frequently tried to talk to her, or to put his arm around her, and she didn't respond. She felt like she'd failed him in some way, and it showed. Yet, he still kept trying, hopeful one day she'd open up to him and tell him how she felt, like she had that fateful day at the hospital.

But when she was alone, she threw herself into work, putting all of her energy into her job, even though right now she had very little energy at all. She set a lot of goals for herself, swearing she'd get this and that done, and when she finished taking on more. She needed a distraction, especially since she'd been cramping worse and worse lately and she knew it wasn't that long until her miscarriage finally completed. Soon, she'd be saying goodbye to her child, and her body would heal itself, and her cycle would start back up again, a monthly reminder that she wasn't pregnant anymore.

There was one thing Bernadette hadn't told Howard or Penny or anyone else. The day she'd left the hospital, when she'd been alone in her room getting ready to go while Howard pulled the car around, a young nurse in scrubs with cats on them had walked into her room. The nurse had looked at her and said, with a smile on her face: "You can start trying again after your next period, once your uterus has time to heal." One of the other, more experienced nurses had quickly ushered the first nurse out of the room and apologized to Bernadette wholeheartedly, but the damage had already been done.

They were already telling her when she could replace her baby. Like her child was a material item and she could just buy another one. The very thought repulsed her, like they were suggesting she hadn't loved her baby.

Finally, there was Amy; Amy stuck in the middle of Sad and Sadder. Finding out about her two best friends' problems in the middle of such a complicated time in her life and relationship with Sheldon was even more difficult than it would normally be. Amy had never had a lot of friends; ergo she'd never had to help anyone through a major crisis. Knowing that Penny and Bernadette were hurting so bad hurt Amy. It sounded corny, like it belonged in some book about girls who shared magic pants, but it was true. Amy didn't know what to do to make them feel better. Her first instinct had been to tell them a bunch of interesting facts about pregnancy she'd gotten off the Internet, but that had just made Penny give her a pissed off look and pour herself more wine and Bernadette excuse herself to probably go cry in the bathroom. After that, Amy tried to shut her mouth. Amy had no idea what to do – her PhD couldn't help her here.

So, they tried to keep going, tried to keep their friendship as normal as possible. But they all had a lot of changing and healing to do before things could ever be normal again.

* * *

**I'm not really sure about exactly how a miscarriage goes (I'm 15 – obviously I've never had one) but I did a lot of research online, and found this very helpful website called stillbirthday. So, I hope that this portrayal is accurate. I tried very hard to get such a sensitive subject as exact as possible. **

**I was also surprised by how many people said they wanted to try again immediately after a miscarriage. I didn't think it would be right for Howard and Bernadette to get over the loss of their baby so quickly, so I will make sure they both get the closure they need before they discuss that possibility. I'm not saying that it's wrong to want to try again, because that's just how some people cope, I simply don't think either of them would be able to do that, since Howard wants children so badly and would surely feel terrible after losing one and I've established that Bernadette is feeling guilty. I think it would go against their characterization for them to dive into trying to conceive. **

**xoxo**


	13. The Return of the Sarcasm Sign

**I started this chapter hours ago – and I mean ****_hours_**** ago – but I kept procrastinating finishing it. Finally got it done. Like I said, this chapter is about the guys. Oh, and you can thank Daisy Wilson for suggesting the first scene in this chapter. I thought it fit here perfectly! Thanks, Daisy!**

**DISCLAIMER: Ummm, I own Danielle. And that's it…**

* * *

"Are you ready to go, Sheldon?" Leonard asked, walking into the living room. His best friend was currently hunched over his laptop, and they were supposed to meet Raj and Howard for dinner in fifteen minutes. "What are you doing?"

Sheldon looked over his shoulder. "Video chatting," He responded. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Can't you tell Amy you'll talk to her later?" Leonard said; ready to get on the road. "We have to go soon and…" He stopped when Sheldon moved away from the laptop, so Leonard could see the screen. "Mother?"

On the screen, Dr. Beverly Hofstadter frowned. "Do you have functioning eyes, Leonard?"

"Yes,"

"Then use them."

Leonard turned away from the screen and towards his friend and roommate. "Why did you call my mother, Sheldon?"

"I thought she could help," Sheldon replied. "You're mother is a renowned child expert with a brilliant mind."

"Help with what?"

"Your problem with Penny,"

"Sheldon…"

"Leonard," Sheldon said, as sternly as Sheldon ever talked. "Even I can see that you are distraught over your inability to procreate with Penny. As your friend, I care about you and your wellbeing a great deal."

Leonard almost smiled. "Really?"

"Of course!" Sheldon said. "You don't do me any good when you sit around and listen to Alanis Morisette!"

Leonard's face faltered at Sheldon's motives, but he knew this was probably one of the nicest things Sheldon had said to him in a while, and so he gave up and moved to kneel in front of the computer. "What oh-so-helpful advice do you have, Mother?" Beverly opened her mouth, but Leonard wasn't done. "And don't say 'buck up, sissypants'!" Beverly's mouth closed.

"Leonard," Beverly said after a moment. "You are not going to lose my homegirl over this. She is the best thing that has happened to you, so buc-" She paused, caught herself, and took a breath before continuing. "And anyway, just because you have offspring does not mean that –"

"Yeah, yeah I know! I saw your last book!"

Beverly almost smirked. "Think about what I said. Now if you'll excuse me, I have much better things to do with my time." She clicked a button on her computer, and the screen went black.

Sheldon looked at Leonard. "See? Wasn't that helpful?"

Leonard shrugged. "Not really. But she did get one thing right – Penny is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I want to be with her, baby or not." He sighed, grabbing his keys. "I'm just worried she doesn't know that…"

_I told you those babies would only be imaginary. _Sheldon thought. He opened his mouth to say this, but then decided against it.

* * *

"So,"

The first half of dinner was normal, but by the time the plates had been cleared away the guys were slowly running out of things to talk about. The recent events were definitely acting as the elephant in the room, and without any more comics, sci-fi or "groundbreaking" discoveries at work, it was like the elephant had double, even tripled in size.

"So," Sheldon said, repeating the word Leonard had uttered a few seconds before. "Do you feel better after the talk with your mother?"

"You called your mother?" Howard said, incredulous.

"Does she still think Howard and I are gay for each other?" Raj added. "And if yes, did you tell her that we are not homosexual and that I have a girlfriend now?"

Leonard ignored Raj's comment. "Sheldon did that for me." He looked back to his best friend. "I told you, Sheldon, I'm fine."

"I think your inability to have smart and beautiful babies with Penny is getting you down," Sheldon said.

"Gee, you think?" Leonard replied sarcastically.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do!" Leonard rolled his eyes and pulled a pen out of his pocket. He scribbled something on the napkin and when he held it up the word 'Sarcasm' had been written on it. "_Oh_." He turned to Howard. "So are you coping well or do I have to talk to your mother?"

"Sheldon!" Leonard gasped. "You don't just ask someone that!"

"Why?" Sheldon asked. "Isn't it the social protocol for me to care about his happiness even though I don't really care?"

"Yes, but you don't ask about a sensitive subject so bluntly –"

"It's fine," Howard interrupted. "Well it's not fine but it's…" He trailed off. "Better, it's better. I just wish Bernie would talk to me about it. I keep trying to bring it up in the most sensitive way I can but she doesn't even give me the chance. It's like I'm not even there half the time…"

"We're so sorry, dude." Raj said sympathetically. Howard forced a small smile.

They were cut off when Raj's phone began to ring. The astrophysicist looked at the caller ID and smiled. "It's Danielle," He informed them, before answering. "Why hello Danielle."

"She's calling him again?" Leonard asked.

"Every day since their first date," Howard replied, both of their eyes following Raj as he stood up from the table and walked across the restaurant to take the call. "He's really into her."

"Yeah," Leonard said with a sigh. "Our little boy's growing up."

"Oh," Howard sighed. "Where does the time go?"

"I don't know," Leonard said, watching Raj hang up the phone with a smile on his face. He shook his head. "It feels like just yesterday he couldn't speak to women…"

"That was yesterday," Sheldon corrected. "Raj thought the Starbucks barista was an ideal mate and he clammed up."

Raj slid into his seat then, still smiling. "God," He said. "Danielle. Danielle Koothrappali. What do you think we'll name our children?"

"So," Leonard said. "You really like her huh?"

"I do,"

"You sleep with her yet?" Howard asked.

Raj's face faltered, and he looked down at the table.

Sheldon looked up. "That's a no, right?"

"Yes, Sheldon," Leonard said, exasperated. "Yes, that's a no."

* * *

**I didn't proofread this because it took me FOREVER to finish, so sorry for any typos. **


	14. The Job Quitting Catalyst

**I like this chapter. I like this chapter a lot actually. The first part is (I hope) pretty funny, and the second part is pretty emotional. Hope you like it too!**

**DISCLAIMER: Blah blah blah, I don't own TBBT, blah blah blah…**

* * *

The Victoria's Secret clerk popped her gum loudly as she stood at the counter, thumbing through the latest issue of _Nylon_. It was a slow day today, and she liked that. For a sales clerk, she'd never been much of a people person.

"What about this one?"

She looked up and across the store. There was only one couple there, and to say she's surprised would be an understatement. They're not the usual kind of people she sees in the store. The woman was dressed awful dowdily in a sweater, skirt, knee socks and shoulder bag, with straight brown hair and glasses. She was holding up a white lace garter slip for the man to look at, awaiting his opinion. The man was tall, thin and kind of reminded her of a praying mantis in appearances.

She closed her magazine and chomped down on her gum. She knew she should go assist them, and so she walked over. "Hello," She said. They both turned to look at her. "I'm Amanda, how can I help you?"

"Hello, Amanda," The woman said. "I'm Amy, and this is Sheldon,"

"Hello," Sheldon said, unenthusiastically, before looking around the room as if he might find something to entertain himself. Amanda didn't know a man who wasn't entertained by pictures of women in bras and panties.

"We are going to be engaging in intercourse in exactly 10 days, and I'd like to get some new lingerie,"

Amanda raised her eyebrow. "10 days?" She repeated, incredulous. "You plan when you have sex?"

"Oh yes," Sheldon piped up. "We limit our physical desires to only birthdays and anniversaries."

Amanda decided not to comment. "Well then," She said simply. "I think you might want to start out with something a little more…" She grappled for a word. "_Classic_," She finished after finally thinking of an adjective. She held up three lace appliqué slips in three different colors – yellow, purple and black. "Perhaps one of these is more your speed?"

The woman – Amy – took the hangers from Amanda, delicately feeling each one. "Let's just get all of them," She announced to her boyfriend, husband, whatever he was, a second later, having deemed them sufficient.

"Oh no," Sheldon interjected with a shake of his head. "They simply won't do. Yellow is the most fatiguing color to the eye due to the high amount of light it reflects, so we can't get that one. Black is afflicted with death and mourning –"

"But," Amy interrupted. "It does have a slimming quality."

"Yes," Sheldon said. "But I really don't want to be thinking of my father's funeral when I'm in bed with you – it's already unpleasant enough. Plus, you don't need to be slimmed down, you're fine the way you are." Amy smiled, and Amanda had a feeling that that was the nicest thing he'd ever said to her. "Purple is obviously the best choice because it not only represents royalty and wealth but also wisdom, of which we have much."

Amy nodded in approval, and then handed the purple slip to Amanda. "We'll take it," She pronounced proudly.

Amanda nodded and went to go ring them up. She handed them a small bag containing their purchase, offered a token 'have a nice day' and watched the couple depart, arguing lightly over something trivial.

That was the day Amanda finally quit her job.

* * *

"_Oh_."

Howard stirred, and looked over to his wife. She was sitting upright in bed, and their eyes locked. He was wide awake now – obviously, this was it. Howard began to sit up, and he realized then that Bernadette was crying – not just crying but full out sobbing, like she'd been that day at the hospital. "Hey," He mumbled, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. Bernadette buried her face into his chest.

For a moment they stayed there, closer than they'd been for days. Even though the circumstances were the farthest from ideal, it felt good to hold her in his arms again, to feel her chest rise and fall as she breathed, to be able to touch her.

"I'm sorry," She said finally.

This wasn't what Howard had expected her to say. And when she said it, he felt horrible, knowing she felt that way. "Bernie, this isn't your fault."

She ignored him. "I couldn't do it. I couldn't protect our baby. I was supposed to keep them safe and I couldn't…" She sniffled. "…do it. I _failed – _I failed you and our baby."

"Hey," Howard said softly. "Look at me," She didn't listen. "Bernie…"

Finally, Bernadette lifted her head, and Howard used his thumb to wipe the wetness off her cheek. "You could never fail me. There is nothing you could have done," He told her gently. "You can't blame yourself. It was a tragic accident. No one is at fault here."

Bernadette nodded slowly. "I wish I had told you," She said. "I'm sorry, I should've. I just thought that I could postpone it until I went to the doctor's…What I didn't know was that by that time the baby was already gone." She trailed off. "I'm sorry. I should've told you the minute I found out. I should've talked to you about this instead of ignoring you. I'm sorry…"

He doesn't really know how to respond. What do you say to that? So, he simply held his wife while she cried. That was the least he could do. "It's going to be okay. We are going to be okay."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

**I wrote that last scene a while ago and I think I wanted to add something to it, but now I forget what it was…Whatever. Is it adequate as it is?**


	15. Schrodinger's Dog

**I know today's not a Tuesday or a Thursday, but it's so much easier to just post whenever I feel like. So, from now on, I'll just update whenever I crank out a new chapter. **

**This chapter took so long because of three reasons – 1) Writer's block's a bitch. 2) Schoolwork is a bitch. 3) I was too busy tanning - I mean, umm, _doing homework_ - on Spring Break to type a word. PS: Did I mention that writer's block's a bitch? **

**So, anyway, I hope this doesn't suck. If you have any suggestions those are always helpful. **

**DISCLAIMER: I freaking hate disclaimers, and today I'm not gonna write one. So there!**

* * *

The little girl smiled at her from across the lawn. Her brown eyes were wide, and her blonde hair was pulled back into two pigtails. She wore a pink jumper and leopard print leggings – an outfit she'd picked out, obviously. "Mommy!" She cried happily, a grin spreading across her face when she saw her. "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" She took off running across the grass, and there was a loud bark, followed by a golden retriever chasing after her. The little girl threw herself at her and she scooped her up in her arms, showering her face with kisses. The little girl laughs, and it's the most beautiful sound she's ever heard. She looked up from her daughter, who was currently talking about her day animatedly, and smiled even wider when she saw her handsome husband walking towards them. He slid an arm around the both of them, and the dog barked happily by its master's feet. She leaned in to kiss Leonard, whispering three words to him as their child squirmed in her arms, and in that moment she felt happier than she'd ever been.

Normally, Penny didn't remember her dreams. But this one had been so vivid, so clear, so _real,_ for a moment after she woke up she had sworn it had been reality, even though it was only just a dream. Believe it or not, Penny had begun to feel a little bit better, but it was moments like these that hit her hard.

"Good morning, beautiful,"

Leonard stuck his head in and smiled at her. Penny surprisingly hadn't noticed his absence. "Hey," She said, glancing at the clock, which was flashing 9:37.

"I have something for you,"

"You do? Leonard, that's so sweet,"

"Well, I know we've both been really upset lately," Her boyfriend stepped into the room, his hands behind his back. "So, I think this will help just a little bit." From behind Leonard, there was a small wail, and he struggled to keep what he was holding still.

Penny gave him a look. "Leonard," She began slowly. "Please tell me you did not steal a baby…"

"Oh, nothing like that!" Leonard said, sitting down at the foot of the bed.

Penny gasped when Leonard unveiled the small, squirming creature behind his back. No, it wasn't a baby, but a small, golden retriever puppy, the same breed of dog she'd seen in her dream. It was almost like Leonard was reading her mind. "Oh my God!" Penny said, reaching to pick up the animal. "Hi, baby!" She cooed at it.

Leonard repositioned himself so he was sitting next to Penny, and he rubbed the puppy under his chin. "I know we said we wanted to be one of those stereotypical families with the house and the dog so, I figured this would be a good start to making that come true. I hope you like golden retrievers. That's what my old dog Mitzi was so when I saw this little fella I just couldn't say no."

"Thank you so much," Penny told him, nuzzling the puppy. She'd always felt at home around animals, having grown up in Nebraska and all. "The building's okay with you keeping him here?"

When Leonard didn't respond right away, she turned to look at him. "Okay," He answered. "So, I might have forgotten to mention that tiny detail…" Penny laughed. "So this will just have to stay between the two of us."

"You mean the three of us!" Penny said, holding up the puppy's paw as if he was raising his hand. They both laughed. "So, does he have a name?"

"No, I figured we'd pick one out together. Do you have any ideas?"

Penny shrugged. "Well, I don't want to name him after any scientist…"

"Not even Schrodinger?" Leonard asked.

"Schrodinger's experiment involved a cat, genius,"

"So? It was an important milestone in our relationship. Plus the experiment would've worked with any animal."

"I'm not putting my puppy in a box, Leonard!"

"Fine," Leonard said, giving in. "But I'm not naming him after a Kardashian!"

Penny groaned. "Come on! Kris could be a boy's name –"

"Penny,"

"Okay!" She said. "So no scientists and no Kardashians. What does that leave us? Mitzi the Second?"

Leonard shook his head. "Nah, he deserves a name all his own. What about…" He gave her an unsure look. "Goldie?"

"Please," Penny scoffed. "Like there aren't a million dogs named Goldie out there. What about…Daisy?"

"First off, he's a boy," Leonard said. "And second, where did that come from?"

Penny ducked her head sheepishly. "It was sort of the name of my cow…"

Leonard laughed. "You had a _cow?_"

"Technically it wasn't _my_ cow," Penny said. "I just grew really attached to it…"

Her boyfriend rubbed the puppy behind the ears, and was about to make another comment about Daisy when his phone buzzed, signaling he had a text. He pulled it out of his pocket, typed a quick reply, and then shut it off. "That was Sheldon," He said before Penny could ask. "He was asking me to pick him up from Amy's later."

"Wait a minute," Penny said, sitting up in bed. "Did he spend the night?"

Leonard shrugged. "Looks that way," He sighed. "The Shamy just keep getting weirder and weirder…"

Penny nodded in silent agreement, and a moment later her eyes widen and she snapped her fingers. "I got it! That's his name!"

"You want to name the dog Shamy?" Leonard asked.

"No, no," Penny said, waving the comment off. "Lenny, like Leonard and Penny put together."

Leonard smirked and picked the dog up. "You like it?" He questioned. As if he understood, the puppy licked his face.

Penny laughed. "Lenny it is then,"

* * *

**I wanted to name my dog Lenny. But my family wouldn't let me so…I settled on giving the name to Leonard and Penny's dog. **

**I know this chapter seems pointless but I put it in for a reason, I assure you. **


	16. Angel Wings

**Sorry this took so long, I didn't know how to end this. **

**This chapter is so, so short it's sad. I apologize for that but I wanted to save the next part for the next chapter. I promise to write it as quickly as possible to make up for this itty bitty chapter. **

**DISCLAIMER: So, yeah, I'm not Chuck Lorre, or Bill Prady, or Steven Molaro…**

* * *

It wasn't like any cemetery Howard or Bernadette had ever been in. It was full of many tiny tombstones for tiny babies, and the whole place reeked of sadness. (Not that cemeteries were usually happy places, but the death of a child was always especially difficult.) They stood there in silence for a long time, just looking down at the tiny tombstone that belonged to their tiny baby and thinking about everything. Finally, after what felt like a long time, Howard spoke up. "I have something for you,"

Bernadette turned to look at him as he unveiled small box. When she opened it, she gasped. "Oh, Howie," It was a necklace, with a Swarovski drop crystal and a small, silver heart stamped with the shapes of two, small feet. The heart also had silver wings sprouting from it, reaching up and wrapping around the crystal. After a moment, she realized they were supposed to be angel wings.

"Do you like it?" Howard asked. "I found it online. I thought it might be a good way to you know, remember."

She smiled and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. "It's gorgeous, I love it." She assured him. "Put it on me?" She pulled up her hair and turned around, and he fumbled with the clasp as he fastened it on her neck. It fit perfectly, the charm falling right below the little star she'd worn every day since he gave it to her.

She turned back around, her hand holding onto to the charm. Again, for a little bit neither of them said anything. Finally, he offered her his hand and they both took another look at the grave marker before starting off back towards the car.

Neither of them said it out loud, but they both knew this was them growing back together. This was the beginning of their healing.

* * *

"Am I ever gonna meet your friends?"

Raj frowned as Danielle pulled away from their kiss, at first not realizing she'd spoken until he saw her looking at him, anticipating an answer. "Huh?"

Danielle sighed and resisted rolling her eyes. "Your friends," She repeated. "Are you ever going to introduce me?"

"Oh," Raj said, shrugging. "I guess."

"You guess?" Danielle said. She scooted closer to Raj, throwing her legs across his lap. He wrapped an arm around her waist. "You're not ashamed of me, are you?"

"What?" Raj gasped. "No! Of course not!" He was definitely not ashamed of Danielle. She was an amazing girl – smart, pretty, and sweet – they liked a lot of the same things, and she really cared about him. "I'm not ashamed of you at all!" Honestly, if anyone was going to be ashamed of anyone, he thought _she _should be ashamed of _him, _the socially awkward astrophysicist who hadn't been able to speak to women until her.

"Then can I meet them?" Danielle asked.

"Of course,"

"When?"

Raj thought about this. "Well, I'll have to give Sheldon notice," He said, and Danielle raised an eyebrow in confusion. "If I don't give him a heads up he'll freak out at an added guest and start spazzing and no one wants to see that." He explained.

"I ummm, can't wait to meet them?" They both laughed and then kissed. Danielle smiled. Hopefully, this would be easier than she thought. Now, all she had to do was get _him_ to talk to her…

* * *

**When I found out they had miscarriage necklaces, I knew I had to include it. Howard does give Bernadette a lot of jewelry after all (the heart locket, after she has dinners with his mom, and of course the star). **

**Also, really the same couple people have been reviewing, and it would be nice to hear from somebody else. If you review, I'll give you virtual cookies! Do you like chocolate chip? And it's your last chance to guess who you think Danielle has that surprising connection to (if you don't know what I'm talking about, check the summary). **


	17. The Axe-Wielding Murderer in the Room

**I felt like I took a really long time to write this and was going to apologize, and then I realized it's only been 6 days. I think I'm just sleep deprived. **

**DISCLAIMER: Blah blah blah, I don't own, I don't own, blah blah blah…**

* * *

Raj knocked on the door to Apartment 4A, and at his side Danielle fidgeted, tugging on the end of her dress. She was happy she'd finally gotten what she wanted, but she was nervous too. This could either go really well or really badly.

"It's open!"

Raj opened the door and stepped inside first. After a moment's hesitation, Danielle followed him inside. "What's up dudes and dudettes?" Raj said as he strolled in, causing everyone to look up at him. There was a dark haired guy in the chair, and a blonde woman sitting on the arm. On the couch, there was a tall and thin man with a dowdily dressed brunette woman next to him, and another blonde on her other side. Then, _he_ sat next to the other blonde.

"Guys, this is Danielle, my girlfriend," Raj said the word "girlfriend" so proudly, happy to finally being able to use it. "Danielle, this is everyone."

"H-hi," She said. Did she just _stutter?_ No one seemed to notice as they all gave a chorus of hi's back, except for the tall and thin man, who got up and went to the fridge.

"Sheldon!" chastised the brunette woman, her voice sharp. "Say hello!"

"Sorry," Sheldon said as he opened the refrigerator, but it was obvious he didn't mean it. "Hello Danielle, the girl who has infiltrated our social group." The brunette woman shot him a look. "And made Raj oh-so-happy!"

Raj looked uncomfortable, and quickly tried to change the subject. He introduced each member of the group that was still sitting in the living room, and each one of them extended their hands in greeting and smiled. When Raj finally got to him, he didn't look in her eyes as they shook hands, averting his gaze away from her face. _He's still mad. _Danielle thought. She had hoped he'd would've forgiven and forgotten by now.

"And of course you know Sheldon," Raj sighed, gesturing to Sheldon, who's head was currently in the fridge as he looked for something. Danielle forced herself to laugh.

Raj pulled up a chair next to couch, and Danielle plopped down in the spot Sheldon had vacated. "No!" Everyone practically screamed, all rising slightly in their seats.

"What?" Danielle asked. They all reacted like there was an axe-wielding murderer behind her back or something.

"That's Sheldon's spot," Raj hissed under his breath. "Just get up before he comes!"

"His spot?" Danielle repeated, her own problems momentarily forgotten. "What?"

"It's the ideal spot," One of the blondes – Penny – explained. "He can see the TV but still be able to socialize; it's not too hot, not too cold…"

"Point is, just get up," Raj said. "Bernadette made the same mistake the first time Howard brought her and I still think Sheldon is wary when she comes over,"

"I don't hold that incident against Bernadette," Sheldon said as he came over, handing one of two water bottles to Leonard, who opened it and took a sip. "Though I do still think Howard should've informed her more thoroughly of protocol in this apartment first to prevent errors such as that one," At this, Howard rolled his eyes.

Sheldon turned his attention to Danielle now. "How much has Raj told you?"

"Ummm…" Danielle said cautiously, rising out of Sheldon's seat. It seemed like he couldn't get back in it fast enough. "A little,"

"Oh God," Leonard sighed, mostly to himself. "Wrong answer…"

"Let me start with our schedule. Mondays we have Thai food," Sheldon began, either having not heard Leonard or choosing to ignore him. "Tuesdays we go to The Cheesecake Factory – their service isn't particularly good," Here he shot Penny a look, and Danielle remembered Raj mentioning she was a waitress. "But the food is. Wednesday is Halo Night, and it's also the night we go to the comic book store. Thursdays we get pizza from Giacomo's – sausage, mushrooms, and light olives. Then Friday nights, like tonight, we have Chinese and play vintage video games. By the way…" Now he looked to Leonard, who exhaled loudly.

"I'm going to go get the food," He said, standing up. "Danielle, you can have my seat –"

"Nah, I'll go," Everyone looked at Howard as he said this, and Danielle wondered if it mattered to Sheldon who got his food.

This didn't seem to be a problem. "Don't forget the low-sodium soy sauce!" Sheldon called as Howard started off towards the door, grabbing his keys.

"Of course," Howard replied, only slightly annoyed. Clearly he was used to this.

"Or the good hot mustard!"

"Obviously!"

"You'll get brown rice, not white?"

"Yes, Sheldon,"

"And ask for the chicken to be diced, not shredded?"

"Yes,"

"Even though the menu clearly specifies shredded?"

"_Yes!_" Howard sighed, opening the door. "But if you keep this up Sheldon, I _swear_ I'll spit in your food." Sheldon looked horrified at this statement and opened his mouth to retort, but before he could Howard had already left with a slam of the door.

Danielle plopped down in Howard's now empty seat. This wasn't going like she'd hoped. "So," Bernadette said to her, trying to change the subject. "How are things for you and Raj going?" She smiled, which was slightly reassuring.

Danielle smiled back, pushing thoughts of him to the back of her mind. "Good," She said, and this was the truth. "Things are very good,"

* * *

**Oh, and I lied – you can still guess who that connection's with. I tried to hint at it but not make it too obvious. (And if you go back into the story I had a few subtle hints in there too!) I'll reveal who "him" is next chapter.**


	18. The Band-Aid Analogy

**I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the 30 people who have favorited this story, and the 54 people who have added it to their alerts. You guys rock, thank you. I hope all of you like this chapter. **

**DISCLAIMER: I still don't own ****_The Big Bang Theory_****.**

* * *

Danielle fidgeted in her seat when she saw him enter the restaurant. She looked down at the table, focusing on making sure her silverware was perfectly aligned. When she looked up, he was only a few feet away, his face neutral.

She'd texted him a few days after Raj had "introduced" them, giving him just enough time to – hopefully – cool down. _I need to see you. _She'd said. _Please. Let's let bygones be bygones. _

He'd replied with four words. _Saturday. 7:00. Cheesecake Factory. _That was either a very bad sign or a very good one.

Danielle looked up just as he slipped into the seat across from her, not saying anything or even looking at her as he folded his napkin in his lap. For a moment, they sat in silence, looking at each other. He didn't look very different, just a little older. Danielle wondered if she looked anything like she used to – she felt totally different. The last time she'd seen him she'd been a totally different girl. She'd still been wearing those dreaded contacts that hurt her eyes, and had been flat ironing her hair all the time, stuck in that phase of Hollister tops and Aerie yoga pants and Victoria's Secret lip gloss. Not only had she looked different, she'd acted different. Back then she was young and naïve, hopeful that they could work through their problems and be a real family. She was so stupid then. She'd been a stupid child.

"Hi," Danielle said finally. She eyed him warily, proceeding with caution. This was probably going to be a difficult conversation to have.

"…Hi," Howard replied after a brief pause. Immediately, Danielle thought of his text. _It was a bad one. _She thought. _It was a bad sign._

"How are you?" She asked.

Howard almost scoffed. "Don't try to make small talk,"

There was a pause as Danielle thought of what to say next. "Look," She said. "I heard about the miscarriage…"

At this, Howard abruptly cut her off. "Do _not_ talk about my baby." He didn't sound mad this time – more like he was pretending to be mad when in reality this mention of such a sensitive subject had stung.

"I'm sorry, okay?" Danielle said to him, slight annoyance beginning to show in her tone. "That's it."

"I don't need your sympathy; I don't _want_ your sympathy." He said. "And if you are so sorry, why did you go hide in that hospital cafeteria?"

Danielle felt her cheeks go slightly red. "Oh, like you would've wanted me there. A public showdown in the maternity wing would've been appropriate." She said the last part sarcastically, obviously.

Now it was Howard's turn to think of a response. "It's nothing against you, Danielle," He said finally. "But I know you, and I know what you're going to say, and what you're going to try to get me to do." His voice lowered, so it was softer, as if he was telling a child the Tooth Fairy wasn't real. "We can't be a family, Danielle. I know you're hoping this will work out but it's not going to. Like you said, let's let bygones be bygones and just move on."

"We _are_ family," Danielle said. "You don't turn your back on family,"

"Some people do," Howard replied bluntly, the gentleness in his speech gone. "You really don't get it do you? This isn't an after school special, or a Lifetime movie, this is _real_ _life_. Sometimes people part ways, lose touch, stop caring about each other. That's life, Danielle. What you want isn't. That is a fantasy."

"But…"

"Look, you seem happy. You have Raj, I have Bernadette, we both have new families. Done,"

"Howard," Danielle said, practically pleading. "Hear me out, please. You both know we're not happy this way."

"I am," Howard told her, and Danielle could tell just a small part of him was lying. "Why wouldn't I be happy? Then again, I don't know if Raj will be happy when he finds out you lied to him."

That was a low blow, but maybe she deserved that one. She _had_ lied to Raj. "I care about Raj," Danielle said truthfully. "I do. And I feel terrible for using him like I did, like I am."

"Raj is a great guy," Howard said after a brief silence. "You better not hurt him,"

Danielle nodded. "I know,"

In the quietness that followed, she looked at him again. She took back her initial comment that he simply looked older. He was changed too. Danielle flagged down the waiter, making a check symbol in the air since she knew they wouldn't exactly be exchanging pleasantries over dinner after this conversation, and then turned back around in her seat, deciding to go back to the reason she'd came. She would try to do this as quickly and painlessly as possible, like she was pulling off a band-aid. "Howard, I think you should see him."

"I don't want to, Danielle! I made that clear."

"He deserves to know you!" Danielle raised her voice at first, then lowered it, her turn to speak like she was breaking bad news to a child. "He loves you, Howard."

"He doesn't." Howard said with a small shake of the head. "Like you said, he…he doesn't even know me."

"He can," Danielle said. "All you have to do is give him, give us, give this family, a chance."

Howard opened his mouth to reply, but before he could say anything, the waiter appeared, dropping the black leather check book down on the table. It landed with a small thump.

Danielle pulled out her credit card, turning away from Howard to look at her bill. She didn't notice the certain Indian astrophysicist take a step into the restaurant, only to pause from the shock of seeing his best friend and girlfriend out to dinner.

"Thank you, Ms. Wolowitz," The waiter was saying, low enough so only Danielle and Howard could hear. "You have a good rest of your evening."

* * *

**Theories are very much welcome!**


	19. They Win

**Okay, ****_a lot _****happens in this chapter. Just so you know. Oh, and thanks to Sabrina for being my honorary beta! (She read this chapter, fixed any mistakes and told me what she thought in fifteen minutes, flat. And she kept the fangirling to a minimum. Very impressive, S!)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own ****_The Big Bang Theory_****. It sucks, I know.**

* * *

Leonard knocked on Penny's door, and when he was met with a 'come in' he opened it. "Hey, pizza's here," He said. "Come over when you're ready."

"Cool," Penny replied, dropping her magazine down on the coffee table. "Before you go, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Sure," Leonard said. "What about?"

"Just about this whole, me not being able to have kids thing,"

"Penny, I told you, I still love you, more than anything, and you're inability to get pregnant is not going to make me leave you…"

"That's not what I was gonna say," Penny told him. "I just wanted to ask…where do you see us going in like? I know I asked you this when I thought I was pregnant, I just wanted to know if it changed for you, or something. I know you're not gonna leave me I was just wondering how it's changed for you, and stuff. It's stupid, I know."

"It's not stupid," Leonard assured her, sitting down near her on the couch. He tried not to arouse Lenny, who was currently fast asleep between them. "I do still want what I told you before. But, if we don't get the little Penny's, I'll be fine, as long as I have you. And it may take us a while to get there, to the house and the settling down and stuff, but I'll wait as long as you want me too, or go as fast as you want, if that's the case. Plus, we already got a head start." He gestured to the sleeping dog. Penny laughed. "What about you? What do you want?"

Penny shrugged. "That sounds pretty good to me," She said. "And I do want us to get married. Not tomorrow or anything but…" She paused. "Maybe in like…a year."

Leonard gave her a look, his eyebrows slightly raised and the corners of his lips beginning to turn up into a hopeful smile. "You seriously want to get married in a year?"

"Yeah," Penny replied. "Yeah, I guess I do. For once, actually talking about getting married doesn't freak me out, I'm actually…_excited_ thinking about it. I'm really surprised to hear myself say this…but it's true."

"This is definitely the most surprising thing I've heard all day," Leonard said with a small laugh. "Okay, let's do it."

"What? Get married?"

"Sure, if you want to, and I want to, well, then it just makes sense doesn't it?"

Lenny stirred, and Penny reached down, scratching him behind the ears. The dog then flipped over, his tummy and little puppy legs in the air. "Are you proposing to me again? Like, right now?"

"I'm guessing since you're asking the answer is no…" Penny gave him a look and a small nod, as if silently saying 'yeah'. "…So, be on your toes, because the most romantic marriage proposal ever is coming your way. It'll be so amazing there will be absolutely no way you can say no."

Penny rolled her eyes and leaned over to kiss him lightly on the lips, careful not to jostle Lenny. "I wouldn't say no," She said. "Not even if you asked me now." Leonard began to say something else, and so she cut him off. "But, that is not me giving you permission to ask now! I want my ring, Hofstadter!" Leonard closed his mouth, obviously trying to hold back a smile.

Penny smirked and picked her magazine back up. "So, did you hear about the Shamy?" She asked, trying to change the topic.

"No," Leonard said. "Why? What happened?"

"Amy told me her and Sheldon added a sex clause to their relationship agreement," Penny said. "And they're doing _it _tomorrow."

Leonard's eyes got wide. "_It_ it?"

"Yes, _it_ it!"

"_It_ it? No way!"

"Yes way, _it_ it!"

"We are talking about the same _it_ it right?"

"Yes! There's only one _it_ it!"

"Sorry, Penny," Leonard said. "But I think Shamy just beat your marriage declaration for the most surprising thing that's happened today."

Penny shrugged. "It's okay. I get it." She bookmarked the article she was reading with one of those little subscriptions they put in the magazine. "Shall we eat?"

The two of them stood up. "We shall," Leonard said. He held the door open for her. "Soon To Be Mrs. Hofstadter first,"

Penny smiled as she stepped into the hallway, Leonard appearing by her side a moment later after closing the door. "So," She began. "What should we…" They stopped talking when Bernadette stormed up the stairs, looking absolutely, for lack of a better word, pissed.

Before either of them could say 'hey' she asked them: "Have either of you seen Howard? I have a bone to pick with him."

"No," Leonard answered. "Didn't he come with you?"

"He told me he was working late," Bernadette made air quotes around "working late."

"You don't believe him?" Penny asked.

"No, I don't," Bernadette said. "Raj told me he saw him and Danielle on a date!"

This caught both of them off guard. "Okay," Penny whispered to Leonard. "Her news wins,"

"What?" Leonard said, ignoring Penny's comment. "Seriously? You think Howard's cheating on you?"

The door to 4A opened. Sheldon and Amy stuck their heads out. "Are you guys coming?" Amy asked.

"Told you we should've started without them…" Sheldon muttered, not even bothering to whisper it.

Now, Raj peeked out of the apartment. "Are Howard and Danielle here yet?" He asked Bernadette. She shook her head.

"Why do you need to talk to Howard and Danielle?" Amy asked him.

"Because…" Raj began. "Aha!" Everyone turned to look at Howard and Danielle as they walked up the stairs. Danielle slipped past Bernadette so she was closer to the middle, while Howard stopped at the top of the stairs and tried to take his wife's hand, but she jerked away.

"What was that for?" Howard asked, confused. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Yes, you did!" Bernadette snapped at him. "Are you sleeping with her?" She pointed at Danielle.

"What?" Howard, Danielle, Amy, and Sheldon all said at the same time. Howard sounded shocked at the accusation, Danielle hurt, Amy curious and Sheldon confused.

"Raj saw you two together!" Bernadette continued, as if no one had interrupted her. "I can't believe you would do this to me Howard! Especially when I just miscarried! That's a new low even for you!"

"I didn't cheat on you!" Howard told her, raising his voice. "I thought you trusted me, Bernadette!"

Sheldon leaned over to whisper to Amy. "Does this mean we can cancel our coitus?" Again, he didn't say it quietly enough.

"What?" Now, Bernadette, Howard, Raj and Danielle all said it, or more accurately screeched it.

"Yes, Sheldon and I are going to have intercourse!" Amy snapped. "But this isn't about us or our sex life right now!" She gave Sheldon a proud smirk at finally having everyone talk about their sex life, which he did not return.

"Amy's right," Raj said. "This is about you!" He took a step closer to Danielle, holding up an accusing finger. "And how you hurt me!"

"Are you drunk?" Danielle asked, gesturing to the beer bottle in his hand. "And I'm not dating Howard!" She said, holding her hands up defensively. "Honestly, Raj!"

"Then why were the two of you out together?" Sheldon asked, the only one still relatively calm.

"Because!" Howard replied, sounding annoyed now. "Because Danielle and I were talking about my father, alright? Are you guys happy now?"

It was silent now. Bernadette and Raj both looked down, ashamed at the things they'd accused their partners of. "I'm sorry," The former said softly. "I…I didn't know."

"And technically it's _our_ father," Danielle corrected automatically. When she realized she'd said this, she immediately slapped a hand over her mouth.

Everyone's head snapped up to look at her. "Our father?!" They repeated.

Raj turned to Howard, his jaw agape. He felt suddenly sober now as he took in his the words his girlfriend had let slip and the expression on his best friend's face. "She's your sister?!"

"Okay, they win," Leonard and Penny both said simultaneously.

* * *

**I know, I know, Penny is supposed to propose to Leonard (which is actually how I prefer it), but Leonard's proposal was one of the first parts of the story I wrote, and I don't want that to be for nothing! This is AU after a point anyway. **

**More on the Howard/Danielle thing next chapter. It'll make much more sense then. (Oh, and that last chapter was supposed to make you think that Howard and Danielle had a child together, so if that's what you thought, good. If not, either there's no fooling you or I just suck at this. Hopefully the former.)**


	20. The Truth About Danielle

**Thanks for all your lovely reviews! Here's your explanation!**

**DISCLAIMER: Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady and Co. own the show.**

* * *

"My father met someone else when I was ten," Howard began once everyone was inside Sheldon and Leonard's apartment. Everyone was crowded into the living room, listening silently to the story, except for Raj and Danielle, who were standing in the kitchen. Their hands, both up on the counter, were less than an inch apart, but neither of them made the move to grab the other's. They didn't even look at each other. Raj knew if he looked at Danielle right now he'd start crying.

"I didn't know it then, but my parents' marriage wasn't great," Howard continued. "They fought a lot – almost every night. I guess I just thought that was normal. But anyway, my father meets this woman, and he falls in love with her. He starts seeing her secretly, calling her, emailing her, and soon, he's sleeping with her."

Raj forced himself to look at Danielle, just a little peek from the corner of his eye. Her head was down, her brown hair covering her face, and her shoulders were hunched forward slightly, as if she was or had been crying to herself.

"This goes on for a year. Then, the woman gets pregnant." Howard said. "When my dad found out, he decided to leave. He ran away with this woman, married her, and they raised their daughter together. The last thing we ever heard from him was when he sent my mother divorce papers – not even from his new address, from a friend's house. I still don't know if Ma ever signed them. I just never had the heart to ask her."

"I didn't know the whole story until three years ago. Danielle found me online one day, and her mom told her the truth about Dad's old life. She called me and I agreed to meet her. We spent some time together for a few weeks, just the two of us, getting to know each other, filling in the gaps in the story. We didn't tell our parents, anyone, that we'd met. It was all going great, until Danielle asked me to see our father. I told her I couldn't do it but she just kept pushing, and pushing, until finally, I told her I couldn't do it anymore. I told her I never wanted to see her again."

Danielle looked up, her hair falling back to its proper position, and her and Howard exchanged a brief look. "And that's it," He finished, turning back to address the rest of their friends. "That's the story."

Bernadette sniffled, loudly, and grabbed onto her husband by the front of his shirt, dropping her face against his chest. Penny shifted in her seat, scooting over so she was right up against Leonard. For once Sheldon and Amy didn't say anything at all.

Danielle turned to look at Raj, and Raj met her eyes. _Don't cry_. He thought to himself. _Please don't cry. _He wasn't sure if he was talking to her or to himself anymore. "…You're not an astrophysics student, are you?" He asked her.

Danielle responded with a slight shake of her head. "No," She replied. "No, I'm an English major. But…but I did actually read your papers. Sure I didn't understand them…but I read them."

Raj gulped and didn't comment. "How old are you, really?"

"…Nineteen,"

She was nineteen_. _Approximately eleven years younger than Howard, eleven years younger than him. She was practically a minor. "It wasn't a coincidence you went to my lecture that day, was it?"

Danielle shook her head again. "No," She sounded choked up.

"And do you really like _Rock Band_, or Sandra Bullock movies or _Eat, Pray, Love_?" He asked.

"I've never played _Rock Band_," Danielle said. "The only Sandra Bullock movie I've ever seen is _The Proposal_ – I went to go see it with my mom. But I really do like _Eat, Pray, Love_. I've read it four times. And it did help me with my love life."

"And that day at the hospital," Raj continued. His eyes stung with the beginnings of tears, but he couldn't stop. He needed answers from her. "You went to the cafeteria because you didn't want Howard to recognize you, didn't you?"

Danielle nodded. "Yes," She whispered in ashamed reply. "Yes, that's true."

Raj shook his head. It was becoming harder for him to see, the edges of his vision beginning to get blurry, but he didn't cry. He wouldn't let her see him cry. "I _loved_ you," He said, under his breath. "And this whole time you were using me."

"Raj," Danielle said. Was she actually…smiling, almost? "I…I love you too."

"Loved!" Raj repeated. "I said loved, past tense. I loved you and you played me. You've been playing me this whole time."

Danielle's almost-a-smile faltered at his words. "I'm sorry," She said. "I didn't want to hurt anyone."

"But that's _exactly_ what you did, Danielle."

The girl – he can't bring himself to call her a woman, after how she manipulated him like she was a juvenile high schooler trying to get her way. She's practically in high school anyway, God he can't believe she's only _nineteen_… - blinks away tears. "Okay, so maybe I did go into this with not the best intentions. But it wasn't all a lie. I really fell for you, Raj. I fell in love with you, and it wasn't part of the plan, but I don't regret it. The only thing I regret is hurting you, Raj."

Raj looked down, not even bothering to pretend to be fascinated by the floor. "Dr. Koothrappali," He murmured.

"What?" Danielle asked.

"Dr. Koothrappali," He corrected, looking up at her again. Danielle was giving him a confused look, her mouth hanging slightly open. "I'm not comfortable with you calling me Raj, not anymore."

Danielle's jaw snapped shut, and she pressed her lips together, _hard_. She turned on her heel and headed for the door, but when the rest of the gang saw her leave, they stopped her.

"Danielle," Howard called after her. Other than Raj (and okay, maybe Sheldon, since he's practically robotic when it comes to emotions), he was the last person Danielle expected to do this.

She forced herself to turn around and look at them. They were all watching her, staring at her intently. "You don't have to go," Bernadette said. "Stay, let's talk."

Danielle opened her mouth to blatantly refuse, but as she looked into her sister in law's eyes, she felt absolutely terrible. She felt terrible for deceiving Raj and Bernadette and the rest of them, she felt terrible for trying to force Howard into her idea of a perfect little family unit, for not being honest, and for storming out now when they all really, genuinely, wanted to talk to her about it and she doesn't deserve them, not in the slightest. Raj was right – she hurt them, that's exactly what she did. She lied to them, and nineteen years ago she ruined her brother's life, and yet Bernadette was still giving her that damn look as if to say: "Everything's okay." She didn't deserve this.

Danielle looked to Raj, who had been watching her this whole time. She expected him to be glaring at her, smoke coming out of his ears, but he wasn't. She almost wished he was. "There's nothing left to say," She finally forced out. Danielle almost choked on the words, tears in her eyes and her throat beginning to tighten, as if it was closing in on itself. "I'm sorry. I have to go."

She turned back around and slammed the door behind her just as she began to cry. And in the surprised silence that followed, no one came after her. She's almost grateful. _Almost_.


	21. The Condom Experiment

**Wow, this took…****_forever_****. I was going to post the next chapter after I got out of school – so I didn't have to worry about it while I was taking finals and doing last minute extra credit – but then, once I got out of school, my muse was gone and I totally forgot what I was planning for this chapter. This is why you should write all your ideas down, folks! I'm sorry this took so long. I'll try to post another chapter A-S-A-P. **

**DISCLAIMER: I did not gain the rights to ****_The Big Bang Theory _****in my absence.**

* * *

_Knock, knock, knock. _"Amy."

_Knock, knock, knock. _"Amy."

_Knock, knock, knock. _"Amy."

Amy flipped her hair and took a deep breath. She was wearing the purple slip she and Sheldon had bought at Victoria's Secret under her bathrobe, and she'd tried to curl her hair with a curling iron for tonight's special occasion, but hadn't been able to work it properly and almost burnt a chunk of her hair off. She'd considered putting on some makeup, but had decided that it would've been a little much.

When she opened the door, Amy gave Sheldon her best flirty smile. He made a face. "Hello, Sheldon,"

"…Hi," Sheldon said hesitantly as he stepped inside. He was holding a Rite Aid bag in one hand. He looked down at her robe. "You're wearing the girly undergarments?"

"Mmmhmm," Amy responded, untying her robe. "What do you think? Do I represent royalty, wealth and wisdom?"

Sheldon looked her up and down, and Amy waited for his reaction. "You don't look like yourself," He declared after a moment.

Amy frowned, putting her hands on her hips. "What do you want me to do?" She asked. "Have intercourse with you in a skirt and sweater?"

Sheldon shrugged. "That might make me a little more comfortable…"

Amy sighed. "Did you get the condoms like I asked you to?" She asked, nodding at the Rite Aid bag.

"Of course," Sheldon replied, handing Amy the bag. "I didn't stop at the drug store to pick up cough lozenges and soda pop."

Amy opened up the bag and looked at Sheldon. "How many condoms did you _buy?_" She asked.

"How was I supposed to know which kind is the most efficient?" Sheldon said. "There's regular, lubricated, extra sensitive, extra strength, assorted flavors, assorted colors, glow in the dark…"

"You bought glow in the dark condoms?" Amy said, incredulous. "Why would we possibly need glow in the dark condoms?"

"What if you wanted to have coitus at night?" Sheldon stated. "Then we wouldn't need a flashlight or candles – I thought it would be practical."

Amy smiled, and almost laughed. "Whatever. I guess we'll have to conduct an experiment then – for science."

"One step at a time, Amy Farrah Fowler," Sheldon said. "One step at a time."

"You wouldn't do it for science?" Sheldon's eyes flitted to the floor and he said nothing, and Amy had a feeling he didn't know how to argue to that. "So, I thought we'd have dinner, before we got started."

"Can you eat beforehand?" Sheldon asked. "Or do you have to wait thirty minutes, like in swimming?"

Amy thought about this. "Ummm…I don't know. Should we Google it?"

"No," Sheldon said. "Let's just skip the meal – I don't want to be digesting my meal while I'm in bed with you. If we're hungry afterwards we can eat then."

"That sounds good," Amy agreed. "Well, should we get started then?"

"If we must," Sheldon said. "Should we go to your couch or your bedroom?"

"I suppose we could start on my couch and go to my bedroom."

"Alright."

The Shamy awkwardly maneuvered over to Amy's couch, where they sat down on opposite ends. Amy dropped her robe, so she was just in the slip. Sheldon gave her a wide eyed look, which probably wasn't just because of her ensemble.

Amy scooted a few inches closer, and then a few more. Sheldon looked back at her, their bodies super close, and they awkwardly tried to find a comfortable position, occasionally bumping each other when they accidentally moved in the same direction. Finally, Amy grabbed Sheldon by the shoulders, stilling him. "Kiss me," She ordered.

"What?" Sheldon said, like she'd just asked him to kill her.

"Kiss me," Amy repeated. "It's foreplay."

"You agreed to no foreplay when we made The New Relationship Agreement!" Sheldon cried. "Where's your copy? I'll show it to you –"

"Sheldon," Amy began softly. Still, Sheldon continued to ramble, wondering out loud where Amy's copy of The New Relationship Agreement was. "Sheldon," She repeated, a little louder and a little firmer. Sheldon ignored her again. "Sheldon!" Amy yelled this time, and Sheldon turned to look at her, silenced. "Just calm down," She said, speaking slowly and in a normal voice. "If it makes you more comfortable, we'll call this a private display of affection, okay?" Sheldon reluctantly nodded. "Would you rather I kiss you?" Sheldon paused, and then nodded again. "Okay."

Amy closed the last of the distance between them and pressed her lips against Sheldon's. Sheldon kissed back at first, then abruptly pulled away. "Sanitize, sanitize!" He shouted, reaching for one of the pump bottles of Purell Amy had left on the coffee table, in her bedroom and in her bathroom, knowing that inevitably this would happen. Sheldon let out a sigh of relief as he rubbed the sanitizer into his hands.

"Better?" Amy asked. Sheldon gave a contented sigh in reply.

Now that Sheldon was happy again, the two went back to kissing, taking it very slowly. It was a miracle they didn't bang their heads against each other. Sheldon was actually a surprisingly good kisser – sure, he didn't give Amy any tongue access, but his lips were soft against hers, his kiss gentle.

Sheldon pulled away once more. "Amy?"

"Yes Sheldon?"

"I have a question before we start."

"Go ahead."

"Why do they sell flavored condoms?"

* * *

**I hope you found this chapter worth the wait! I'm going to start the next chapter immediately, so look out for it. **


	22. SOS

**Thanks for all the reviews last chapter! I hope you like this. **

**DISCLAIMER: Oh, yeah, I still don't own.**

* * *

When Amy woke up in the morning, she was alone in bed. There was a slight pain in her back and a bit of throbbing between her legs as she sat up – she wasn't quite used to this yet - but honestly she didn't care. After putting her robe back on, Amy padded out of her room, where she found Sheldon, also in a robe, sitting on her couch with a bowl of cereal watching _Doctor Who_, like he did any other Saturday morning.

"Good morning," She said.

"Good morning," Sheldon replied, not looking away from the TV screen.

"Did you sleep well?" Amy asked, walking into the kitchen to fix herself some coffee.

Sheldon shrugged. "Alright, I'm not used to your mattress. Also, you don't have two percent milk for my cereal."

"We can do this at your apartment next time."

"Fine – remind me to alert Leonard twelve hours notice beforehand."

Amy nodded, and neither one of them said anything for a few moments as she fixed her coffee and Sheldon watched his show.

"You have an interesting glow this morning," Sheldon said, breaking the silence as _Doctor Who_ went to commercial. He looked at Amy as he addressed her. "Is that a side effect of the coitus?"

Amy smiled, even though it was meant as more of a statement than a compliment. "Thank you," She replied, picking up her coffee mug and joining Sheldon on the couch. "I guess you could say that."

"Should you see a doctor about that?"

Amy smirked, shook her head no, and turned towards the TV, evening though she had very limited (if any) interest in _Doctor Who_. The Shamy watched for a few minutes without saying anything, and they were only interrupted when a shrill ring sounded out.

"Sorry," Amy said, standing up from the couch. "That's my text tone." She disappeared into her bedroom and reappeared with her cell phone, sitting back down and reading what was on the screen. "It's Leonard." She explained.

"Did I ask?" Sheldon replied, turning the volume up on the TV.

Amy ignored this comment and looked back to her phone. "He sent me an SOS text and needs me to meet him somewhere right away." She continued. "God, I hope everything's okay…"

"If everything was okay, he wouldn't have sent you a SOS – that would defeat the whole purpose." He paused. "I wonder why he didn't send me an SOS text…"

"Maybe because you're not helpful in an emergency?" Amy suggested. "Or perhaps because of your lack of, how do I put this…empathy?"

Sheldon pondered this. "No, that's not it, Leonard would be lost without me…"

Amy shoved her phone into the pocket of her robe and stood up. "I'm going to go get dressed and see what he needs."

"You're leaving?" Sheldon asked.

"Yup," Amy nodded. "But don't worry, you can stay to finish your show."

"No, I'll go home too." Sheldon said, getting up to put his empty bowl of cereal in the sink. "If I stay at your apartment while you're not here that will completely mess up my schedule's paradigm. And that's a stepping stone for descending into anarchy and chaos – we'd do laundry on Monday, have pizza on Wednesdays, etc."

"Fine then Sheldon," Amy said. "I'm going to go get changed." She hesitated before adding: "I had an enjoyable evening last night."

Sheldon didn't look at Amy as he replied: "Oddly, my evening was not completely objectionable as well." He didn't see it, but Amy smiled.

* * *

Danielle was caught off guard when she heard a knock at her door. For a moment, she wondered if perhaps it was Raj, coming to get back together. Danielle shook her head. She shouldn't get her hopes up. It wasn't Raj.

And she was right – it wasn't Raj.

"Hi," Bernadette said, after an awkward moment of silence. "Can I come in?"

Danielle didn't say anything, she just stepped to the side to grant her access. Bernadette looked around the small apartment as she took her sweater off, dropping it and her purse on a chair. "Cute house," She said.

Danielle wondered if she was lying – her place was a _mess_ at the moment. "Thanks," She responded simply. "Do you…do you wanna sit? Can I get you anything?"

"No thanks," Bernadette said, sitting down in the chair where she'd deposited her sweater and purse. Danielle sat back down on the couch, leaning back and crossing her legs.

"So…" Danielle began awkwardly. "How'd you umm…find my house, exactly?"

"Howard," Bernadette replied. "He had your address from…from before."

"Oh," Danielle said, almost flushing. Stupid question. She tried to change the subject, hoping the point of this trip wasn't to guilt her into something. "So...how are you?"

"Good. Though, I don't know if I can say the same thing about Raj."

Crap, this _was _a guilt trip. "Oh." Danielle simply said in response.

"Look, Danielle," Bernadette began, leaning forward in her seat. "Yeah, you made a mistake, but we all do. You're still family, and Howard and I both agree that it's time we all make up. It's time we move past this, like adults."

Danielle looked down at the floor. "He really thinks so?" She finally asked.

Bernadette nodded. "_Yes_,"

"Then why isn't he here?"

"We both thought you'd be more likely to hear us out if I talked to you. You know, sister to sister?"

Danielle smiled to herself. She _had_ always wanted a sister…

"I'm not saying you have to get back together with Raj," Bernadette continued. "I really care about Raj and I want him to be happy, and I think that if you aren't serious about him a reunion isn't what's best for either of you. But I also care about you, and I don't want your mistake to effect you for the rest of your life."

Danielle nodded. Before she could agree, she was cut off by the shrill sound of Bernadette's text tone.

Bernadette pulled out her phone and read the text on her screen. "Huh,"

"Who is it?" Danielle questioned. "Howard?"

"No," Bernadette replied, looking at the screen for a moment longer before putting her phone back in her purse. "It's Leonard. Something's wrong."

"What?" Danielle said. "Is…is he okay?"

"I don't know," Bernadette answered. She grabbed her purse, which she slipped onto her arm, and then grabbed her sweater. "I have to go meet him somewhere. We'll meet up later okay? Maybe for lunch or something, just the three of us?"

"Sure," Danielle said, getting up to see her sister-in-law to the door. "Howard has my number right?"

"Right," Bernadette affirmed. "I'll see you later, Danielle."

"See you," Danielle said. She closed the door behind Bernadette and slowly made her way back to the couch. She plopped down, putting her feet up. She was glad she seemed to finally be getting the brother-sister relationship with Howard she always wanted, but a large, large part of her was still stuck on Raj. Bernadette had told her it might be best to give him some space for a while, and yeah, maybe Raj did deserve someone better than Danielle.

But that was the thing. She didn't want to stay away from him.

* * *

**What is Leonard's SOS is about? Hmm, I don't know, I guess we'll have to wait for the next chapter and see!**

**Oh, and just an FYI, I'm thinking about changing my penname. So, if all of a sudden it doesn't say 'by notthatgirlnextdoor' anymore, it's still me. **


	23. Metastable Allotropes of Carbon

**My penname may be different, but it's still me! Here's another chapter.**

**But first, I want to get a little bit sentimental. As you probably know, Cory Monteith, who played Finn Hudson on ****_Glee_****, recently passed away. You may have seen Kaley and Kunal's tweets about his passing. This tragedy has struck me and many other Gleeks extremely hard. None of us were expecting this, and we will all miss Cory very much. He was an amazing guy, and everyone who met him had only good things to say about him, a rarity in Hollywood these days. So, this chapter is dedicated to him and his girlfriend, Lea Michele, who loved him more than anything and is surely struggling right now. I'd also like to thank you guys, because all of the other fandoms have been so supportive during this tragedy, including the TBBT fandom. For that, I think I speak for all of us Gleeks when I say that I am very thankful. It is good to know that the fandoms can all support each other, and I feel like we really, truly are a family. So thank you all for that. **

**Even though I am still extremely sad at the premature death of one of my idols, I subscribe to the theory that writing is the best medicine, so that's why I decided to write this chapter. **

**DISCLAIMER: While you all have been extremely nice and helpful during this difficult time, the Big Bang Theory writers still haven't gifted me rights to their show. Bummer.**

* * *

At first, Bernadette and Amy thought they had the wrong address when they pulled up to a Tiffany & Co. But sure enough, when they both checked their texts, this was the address Leonard had given him. They were both very confused.

The two women got out of their cars and started heading towards the entrance. They spotted each other, and met just outside the door.

"Hey," Bernadette said.

"Did Leonard text you too?" Amy asked.

"Yeah," Bernadette replied. "What could Leonard possibly need at a jewelry store?"

The two women stepped inside and scanned the store. There was a pair of women trying on as many bracelets they could fit on their wrists, and a woman nagging the man who must've been her fiancé about getting her a bigger diamond. Finally, they spotted Leonard in the back of the store, hunched over a glass case.

"Leonard?" They both said at the same time as they reached him, their synchronization a coincidence, not on purpose.

The experimental physicist turned around at the sound of his name and smiled slightly. "Hey," He said.

Bernadette and Amy both reached over and slapped him lightly on each of his shoulders. "Oww!" Leonard cried, reaching up to rub one of the spots where he'd been hit. "What was that for?"

"You scared us half to death!" Bernadette chastised. "You sent us an SOS text! We thought something was seriously wrong, and all you needed was help picking out jewelry?!"

"I'm sorry!" Leonard said. "I just needed a woman's opinion and I had to make sure you came."

"Oh, just buy Penny anything," Amy told him. "She's so effortlessly beautiful, she can make anything look good."

"I don't want to just buy her anything!" Leonard responded. "This has to be perfect for her. If all goes well, she'll only get this once."

Amy and Bernadette both gave him surprised looks, finally understanding what he was getting at. "Wait wait wait! You're buying Penny an _engagement ring_?!"

Leonard smiled slightly at their reactions and nodded. "Yeah," He said. "I am."

The two women practically squealed and proceeded to hug Leonard so tightly it actually almost hurt him. "Oh Leonard that's great!" Bernadette said at the same time Amy cried: "Yay! I'm going to get to be a maid of honor again!" Leonard laughed and hugged them back.

"Wait a second," Bernadette said, ending the hug fest.

"What do you mean wait a second?" Amy asked her, her excitement still bubbling over. "Leonard is going to propose to Penny and they're going to get married and I'm going to be a maid of honor again and finally get to walk down in the aisle with my tiara on while a million eyes watch me and "The Way You Look Tonight" plays! This is great news!"

Bernadette sighed and turned towards Leonard. "Are you sure Penny is ready for this? We all know that a huge commitment like this scares her. I know you guys are going to get married someday, but I just want to make sure you're not going to get hurt now."

"Well…" Leonard began. "She kind of…she kind of already knows I'm going to propose to her."

Bernadette and Amy both nodded, not saying anything and still looking at him, clearly wanting more details.

"I mean, I guess you could say we're already engaged?" Leonard continued. "I didn't actually propose to her yet, but we agreed to get married. I want to do something romantic for her."

The two women nodded again. "We can help with that." The latter said, and then they marched up to the display case, one on each of Leonard's sides.

"I really don't know much about jewelry," Leonard told them. "My mother always said that diamonds were just overly priced metastable allotropes of carbon."

"When picking out an engagement ring, you have to pick something classic," Bernadette explained. "Pretty, simple, something to accentuate her beauty, not take the attention away from it."

"But it has to be sparkly!" Amy cut in.

"I'd go with the traditional Tiffany ring," Bernadette said, pointing to it in the case. "Simple silver band, nice sized diamond…"

"But thousands of other women have that ring!" Amy said. "Our Penny needs something just as beautiful and special as she is! I mean, I know that's kind of a tall order but…"

"Oh-kay," Leonard said, beginning to get uncomfortable.

"What about this one?" Amy asked, pointing to another one of the rings. "Cushion-cut diamond, lots of little, bead-set diamonds, a curved band, and it evokes the glamour of the Edwardian period."

"Do you honestly think that's Penny's taste?" Bernadette asked. "And that diamond's huge; it will just totally overtake her hand."

Amy opened her mouth to retort, and so Leonard quickly interjected. He didn't want to get in the middle of an argument today. "Hey, what about this one?" He asked, pointing to a ring towards the back of the case.

Bernadette and Amy both looked at it, the former tilting her head to the side as she examined it and the latter leaning forward for a closer look. The ring was cushion-cut, a nice sized diamond but not obnoxious. There were smaller diamonds on the band, but the ring wasn't too big. It would go nicely on Penny's finger.

"Oh," Bernadette said simply, as if her breath was taken away.

"It's beautiful…" Amy said, looking at it dreamily.

Leonard smiled. "We'll take it."

* * *

**I actually did pick out a real ring, so if you want to see it, just Google the Tiffany Novo. **


	24. The Strawberry Debacle

**Can I just say I am so touched by how many people are actually reading this story? ILOVEYOUILOVEYOUILOVEYOU**

**Blah blah blah disclaimer blah blah blah…**

* * *

Now that Leonard had a ring, he knew it was time he planned his proposal. He wanted to make sure this was perfect for Penny. After all, this was the woman he had loved since the first time he'd seen her. And yeah, it hadn't been easy – far from it – but he could guarantee that this would be perfect.

But, Leonard needed an idea. He had a couple of hours until Penny got home, since she was working the dinner shift at The Cheesecake Factory tonight. That was enough time to think of something and put his plan into action before she got home, right?

He decided to go to Penny's apartment – using the key she'd given for him to unlock the door – since he knew that's where his girlfriend and hopefully soon to be fiancée would be headed when she got returned from work. He turned on the lights, awaking Lenny from his nap. His little head shot up from its place perched on his paws at the sudden flood of light in the room, his black eyes looking at his master.

"Sorry to wake you, boy." Leonard said to the puppy, bending down to scratch behind his ears. Lenny closed his eyes, happy to have some attention after being home alone all day. "Hey, can you help me think of a way to ask your mommy to marry me?" Lenny simply thumped his tail in response, then lowered his head and went back to sleep.

"Thanks," Leonard said sarcastically, rising to his feet. "You've been a big help…" He headed towards Penny's kitchen, still thinking. Maybe there was something in there he could use to make a romantic dinner? He shook his head. No, Leonard had never been a really good chef. The gang didn't get takeout all the time because they were lazy. Maybe he could order Chinese and try to make it romantic in some way?

Leonard decided this wasn't a good idea either. What about Chinese takeout said romance? Nothing. What was something simple and romantic he could give her that didn't require much – or even better, any – cooking skills? He decided to look in Penny's freezer to see what she had. He saw a stick of butter, a carton of milk that hadn't been closed, a couple of beers, some moldy bread and…was that a bottle of nail polish?

None of that would work. Leonard decided to raid Penny's cabinets next, which were slightly better. There were assorted spices, some not moldy bread, lots and lots of alcohol (that would definitely come in handy later) and…bingo, a secret stash of chocolate.

Sure, Leonard couldn't eat it without stinking up the place and totally killing the mood, but chocolate was romantic – and an aphrodisiac, if you believed that sort of thing. Now, he just needed something easy to go with it. What went best with chocolate?

Leonard laid Penny's candy stash out on the counter, tiptoed past Lenny and then headed across the hallway to Apartment 4A. When he entered, Sheldon was sitting at his laptop, typing furiously.

"Hey," Leonard said to him as he walked past into the kitchen.

"Fine, I'll bow to social pressure," Sheldon said. "_Ha-ey_."

Leonard resisted rolling his eyes. He didn't have time to deal with Sheldon today, he had work to do if he was going to pull off the most romantic proposal ever. He found a carton of strawberries in the fridge that he'd just bought the other day - they were still fresh, perfectly red and plump – and was about to head back over to Penny's with them when Sheldon called out to him, throwing a wrench in his plans.

"Where do you think you're going with our strawberries?"

Leonard sighed and stopped, turning around to face his roommate. Apparently, the universe didn't care that today was one of – if not the most – important days of his life so far. He had an hour and a half and counting until Penny would return from work and he wanted everything to be ready by then. "I need them for my date night with Penny," He said, hoping this was a good enough reason.

Alas, it was not. "But those are our strawberries Leonard. They're not Penny's. Tell Penny to get her own strawberries! She already mooches dinner off of us, and uses our wi-fi, and…"

"Did you plan on eating strawberries tonight?" Leonard cut the theoretical physicist off.

"Well…" Sheldon began. "No."

"Then I don't see what the problem is," Leonard replied, turning to leave again.

"It's the principle of the thing, Leonard!" Sheldon said, and Leonard turned back around, running a hand down the front of his face in frustration as he did so. Oh God, why did Sheldon have to be so difficult about everything... "We bought the strawberries, we should be the ones that eat them."

"_I_ bought them," Leonard said. "So if I promise to eat them will you let me go?"

"Well, you bought them with my money."

Leonard groaned and reached into his pocket. He pulled out some cash and coins and dropped them on Sheldon's desk.

"Three dollars and eighty four cents?" Sheldon said, after quickly counting the money.

"That's how much the strawberries cost." Leonard explained. "There, I have officially not spent your money on the strawberries."

"But since we split the groceries wouldn't I only take half of this? I don't want to be in your debt Leonard, you know I hate gift giving, I –"

Leonard groaned, took half the money back and started out the door. "You took an extra penny!" Sheldon called after him, but Leonard slammed the door and headed back to Penny's apartment, ignoring him.

Approximately one hour and nineteen minutes until Penny got home.

He was both excited and terrified.


	25. The Rest of Their Lives

**This is it – the chapter you (and me) have been waiting for! Leonard's going to propose to Penny! I hope this lives up to your expectations. It took a few rewrites and lots of Lenny fanvideo marathons, but I think this chapter turned out pretty good! **

** DISCLAIMER: I don't own TBBT, but I wish I did.**

* * *

Penny trudged up the stairs after a long night at work. She had a huge stain on her skirt from where she'd dropped a tray of food, and her hair was a mess, and she just felt like she really needed a shower and then a nap. And maybe some snuggles with Leonard. That sounded nice…

She'd reached her floor at the same time Sheldon exited his apartment, holding his basket of laundry, because after all it was Saturday night. "Hey, Sheldon," Penny greeted him tiredly, pushing a piece of hair that had fallen out of place behind her ear.

Sheldon looked up at her. "Hello,"

"Doing your laundry?"

"What do you think?"

Penny glared at him, but she was too exhausted to be mad at him tonight – it required too much of her energy. "So, goodbye," She turned on her heel to go, digging around in her bag for her key.

"Goodbye," Sheldon called after her. "Oh, and tell Leonard he owes me an extra cent for the strawberries!"

"What?" Penny said, turning around, confused.

"I don't know what in that sentence could possibly confuse you," Sheldon said, before heading towards the laundry room.

Penny sighed and turned back around, sticking her key in the lock. She shook her head – it wasn't important, she told herself. Sheldon did weird things all the time. Though, Penny couldn't help but feel the teeniest bit suspicious as she opened the door to her apartment. Why would Leonard steal Sheldon's strawberries...?

"Leonard, are you –" Penny began to call as she closed to the door, but as soon as she turned around her words caught in her throat.

Her boyfriend was waiting for her on the couch, no surprise. But the lights were slightly dimmed, music was playing, and there was food and a bottle of wine waiting on the table for them. For a moment the two of them just stared at each other, Leonard obviously waiting for her to say something, and Penny frozen in shock. She suddenly felt like she might pass out, and not because of her evening serving people cheesecake.

Penny had known Leonard was going to propose to her. He had told her flat out he was going to, and she had told him she would say yes. But now, it was obvious that this was it, tonight was the night. Leonard was going to propose, and she was going to say yes, and they would officially be getting married.

Don't worry – she wasn't backing out. Isn't everyone at least a little bit nervous when they get engaged? "I have to go get changed," Penny blurted out quickly, and she felt embarrassed after she did. She turned on her heel and walked into her bedroom, feeling her face grow hot the whole time. Whether from humiliation or nerves, she couldn't be sure.

Penny collapsed onto her bed, letting go of her purse and flinging it across the room. It hit the wall and then landed on the floor. Leonard was going to ask her to marry him tonight. And she was going to say yes. And then they'd get married. And then they'd be together forever. Oh my God.

Penny sat upright, trying to steady her breathing. Now she was beginning to feel another emotion – excitement. They were going to get married. They were going to be together forever. _Pull yourself together. _She thought. _You need to go back out there. Leonard is waiting for you._

Though, once Penny looked at herself in the mirror, she realized she probably did need to change her outfit. She really didn't want to get engaged in her Cheesecake Factory uniform with her hair all over the place. Sighing, she pulled the hair that was still up in a ponytail down and began brushing it furiously, until no tangles remained. Then she slipped out of her shoes, skirt and top, leaving them in a pile on the floor.

Penny knew she couldn't keep Leonard waiting for long, so she had to decide what to wear fast. That wasn't an easy task. She didn't want to just look good, she wanted to look nothing less than amazing. After all, she was only going to get proposed to once. She looked at the contents of her closet, before finally realizing she was being stupid. Leonard would think she looked amazing in whatever she wore. So, Penny simply put on low cut T-shirt and a pair of pajama pants she'd recently purchased from Victoria's Secret, took a few more deep breaths, and then went back out there.

Leonard was waiting nervously on the couch, and he smiled when he saw Penny. "You look amazing," He said, as if in awe that a woman like her could love actually be in love with him, as she sat down.

Penny smiled – it was like he was reading her mind. "Thank you," She responded, trying to hide her nervousness. She took a glass of wine and shoved a strawberry into her mouth to calm her nerves.

The couple sat in silence for a few seconds, both of them not sure what to say, before Leonard finally cut to the chase. "Penny," He began, putting his glass back down on the coffee table. "There's something I really want to say to you."

Penny watched him with baited breath as he fumbled for the ring box in his pocket. Her hand was physically trembling as it set the glass of wine down. Leonard held the box tightly in his hand as he got off the couch and lowered himself onto one knee, Penny's eyes on him the whole time.

"I love you so much," He began. "Penny…you are the _best_ thing that has ever happened to me. I feel so lucky to have you in my life. And I'd like to have you forever, if you'd let me." Leonard opened the box, and Penny found herself stunned by the ring's beauty. It was perfect. "Things haven't been easy, but I wouldn't change a minute of it, because it made me love you more than I already did. I love you more and more with every passing day. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. So, Penny, will you make me the happiest man alive, and marry me?"

Penny had tears in her eyes, and Leonard did too, as she nodded fervently. "Oh my God, yes." She answered. "Yes Leonard, of course I will marry you."

Leonard was both grinning and crying as he got back up next to her on the couch. With her one hand Penny wiped away the tears that were threatening to fall over, while she extended the other towards Leonard so he could put the ring on. With a smile Leonard slipped it onto her finger, nestling it into the spot where it would stay for the rest of eternity. "I love you so much," He said again, and Penny was speechless, so she simply kissed him, cupping his face with the hand that now wore his ring.

"You know," Leonard began, smirking as they pulled apart. "I heard we're-getting-married-sex is pretty great."

Penny looked down and sighed. "Nah, I'm kinda tired…" She looked back up discreetly, seeing Leonard trying to hide his disappointment. "Oh I'm kidding!" She said. "Let's go have sex, you idiot!"

Leonard immediately seemed relieved and she pulled him in for a long kiss. They got up off the couch and headed towards her bedroom, making out most of the way there, but Penny stopped them once they reached the door. "Do I have to take my ring off?" She asked, admiring the cushion-cut diamond.

Leonard's smile widened. "No," He said. "The best part about we're-getting-married-sex is that you don't take the ring off." Penny bit her lip as she smiled, and then practically shoved her _fiancé_ into the bedroom.

She couldn't wait to have moments like this with him for the rest of their lives.

* * *

***sobs* God, those two are so, so….so ****_OTP_****, it hurts. I love them so much. **


End file.
